NGC 1491

NGC 1491
Emission nebula
The nebula NGC 1491
Observation data: J2000 epoch
SubtypeH II region
Right ascension04h 03m 15.9s
Declination+51° 18′ 54″
Distance9,800 ± 2,000 ly (3.02 ± 0.6 kpc) ly
Apparent magnitude (V)8.5
Apparent dimensions (V)6′ × 9′
ConstellationPerseus
DesignationsCed 25, LBN 704, LBN 706, Sharpless 2-206, Little Pacman Nebula
See also: Lists of nebulae

NGC 1491 is an emission type bright nebula in the northern constellation of Perseus. Alternatively, it is known as LBN 704, SH2-206, or the Fossil Footprint Nebula. It was discovered on 23 December 1790 by William Herschel. The nebula is located at a distance of about 9,800 light years from Earth

The nebula gets its deep red coloration due to many massive stars (such as BD+50 866) embedded within NGC 1491 producing large amounts of ultraviolet radiation and ionizing the hydrogen gas that makes up the nebula.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "NGC 1491". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Finlay, Warren H. (2014). Concise Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects. The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series (2nd ed.). Springer Cham. p. 175. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03170-5. ISBN 978-3-319-03169-9.
  3. ↑ "Little Pacman (NGC 1491) | Deep⋆Sky Corner". www.deepskycorner.ch. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  4. ↑ "Emission Nebula NGC 1491". noirlab.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  5. ↑ "NGC 1491". Stargazers Lounge. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2023-11-26.