RA 20h 59m · Dec +68° 09′

5′

A beautiful blue reflection nebula surrounding the hot star SAO 19158. Surrounded by complex dark nebulosity from LDN 1172; wide-field images show the bright blue iris set against dramatic dark clouds.

Reflection nebula

Iris Nebula

NGC 7023 · Cepheus

These photons are ~1,400 years old

UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.

ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →

⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log

↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, the next night

1 23/09/2025 16m (94 × 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
2 24/09/2025 12m (71 x 10s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera

23/09/2025 24/09/2025 The next night

Date: 23/09/2025
Location: 36.3859° N, 28.0414° E
Integration: 16m (94 × 10s)
Software: ZWO Seestar app
Notes: ·
Total effort: 1h 4m over 2 nights
Moon: 🌒Waxing crescent, 1% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA: 20h 59m 09.5s
Centre Dec: +68° 08′ 46″
Field: 42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale: 2.38″/px
Orientation: 64.5° E of N
Hemisphere: Northern

Also in this frame

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50

CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera

RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 20 59 09.5 +68 08 46. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)

36.3859° N, 28.0414° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is NGC 7023?

NGC 7023 is a reflection nebula.

Which constellation is NGC 7023 in?

NGC 7023 lies in the constellation Cepheus.

How far away is NGC 7023?

The light in this image left NGC 7023 roughly ~1,400 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.

What are the coordinates of NGC 7023?

NGC 7023 sits at right ascension 20h 59m 09s and declination +68° 08′ 46″ (J2000).

When is the best time to photograph NGC 7023?

NGC 7023 is circumpolar from around 36°N - it never sets, and rides highest (about 58° altitude) on evenings around August.

What else is in this frame?

The plate-solved field also contains C4.

What equipment was used to photograph NGC 7023?

This image of NGC 7023 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.

How much exposure time went into this image?

This image of NGC 7023 represents 16m (94 × 10s) + 12m (71 x 10s) of total integration time.

Iris Nebula

Where to find it

Frequently asked questions

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