Reflection Nebulae

Reflection nebulae reflect the light of stars that are located in their vicinity. They usually appear blue and often have diffuse, blurry shapes.

The Canadian astronomer Sidney van den Bergh published a catalog of reflection nebulae in 1966, known as the vdB catalog. The objects in this category are exclusively sorted by their number in the vdB catalog.

vdB 131, vdB 132

vdB 131 and vdB 132 are neighboring blue reflection nebulae embedded in the NGC 6914 complex in Cygnus, roughly 5,500-6,000 light-years away; the field reaches its annual culmination at astronomical midnight and is best observed in the last week of July under dark, transparent summer skies ...

Caldwell 4 – Iris Nebula

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 Nebula – vdB 20

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 ...

Maia Nebula – vdB 21

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 ...

Merope Nebula – vdB 22

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 ...

vdB 34

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 ...