Discover the Fetus Nebula—an easy, bright planetary nebula in Cygnus perfect for small telescopes.
The unusually shaped planetary nebula NGC 7008 in Cygnus is sometimes nicknamed the Fetus Nebula, and is shown well in this image. Credit: Adam Block
The sky is filled with great planetary nebulae for backyard observers. Their small size and relatively high surface brightnesses make them easy to observe in most telescopes — and decent targets on less than perfect nights. The constellation Cygnus is filled with bright planetaries, lying as it does smack dab on the center of the summer Milky Way. One of the larger planetaries in Cygnus is NGC 7008, which is bright enough for small telescopes on dark nights.
In the northern part of the constellation you’ll find NGC 7008, sometimes called the Fetus Nebula due to its unusual shape. This object was discovered by William Herschel in 1787 who used his large telescope in Slough, England.
This object is reasonably bright and quite large as planetaries go, shining at magnitude 12.0 and measuring 1.4’ by 1.1’. Its physical diameter is typical of planetary nebulae, about 1 light-year across, roughly the size of our solar system.
This is a nice challenge object for beginners, as it holds up to magnification well, and its high surface brightness makes it possible to view even when a Moon is in the sky. Its central star, the progenitor, glows at about magnitude 13.2.
By checking star atlases or imaging this area with a wide field, you may see that NGC 7008 lies between two dark nebulae, Barnard 357 and LDN 1029.
