Reflection nebulae do not shine by their own power but scatter the light of nearby stars. Because their fine dust particles scatter blue light more strongly than red, these nebulae usually appear in a delicate blue – an elegant contrast to the deep reds of emission nebulae. A well-known example is the Iris Nebula (Caldwell 4), whose blue blossom stands out against dark dust. Reflection nebulae often appear together with dark nebulae and emission regions, forming complex, layered fields of view. They are a photographic challenge: their light is faint, and the subtle dust structures demand long exposures under dark skies. Unlike emission nebulae, narrowband filters are of little help here – reflection nebulae are best captured in broadband images with good colour fidelity. This page gathers every reflection nebula I have photographed so far. Click into any object to learn more about it and see all the astrophoto posts it appears in.
vdB 131 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cygnus, located about 3,300 light-years away, and reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed late July ...
The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, approximately 1,300 light-years away from Earth. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in early August ...
Electra, also known as vdB 20, is a reflection nebula associated with a blue-white giant star located in the constellation Taurus, approximately 400 light-years away from Earth. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in late November ...
The Maia Nebula is a reflection nebula associated with the star Maia in the Pleiades star cluster, located in the constellation Taurus approximately 400 light-years away from Earth. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in late November ...
The Merope Nebula is a reflection nebula associated with the star Merope in the Pleiades star cluster, located in the constellation Taurus approximately 400 light-years away from Earth. It reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight in late November ...
Van den Bergh 34 is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, approximately 1,500 light-years away from Earth. This nebula reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight around mid of December ...
