Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 57

OBSERVING

Alan Whitman

Going Deep

The Dark Creatures of Cepheus
Up the aperture to track down the Seahorse and Elephant Trunk Nebulae.
At the first Mount Kobau Star Party in 1984, my
observing partner Jim Failes made a naked-eye discovery
of a band of dust clouds that he calls the Polaris Superhighway. It begins in the galaxy's central rift near Epsilon Cas, passes immediately east of the three-star chain
of 46, 48, and 50 Cas, and loops tightly around Polaris.
It continues as a broader highway in a concave loop to
the Draco side of Beta (β) Cephei, makes a convex arc
around Beta, and then continues in another concave loop
passing between Alpha (α) and Eta (η) Cephei, where
it reconnects to the rift's dust clouds. Find a site where
M33 is visible with the unaided eye and you should then
be able to see the Polaris Superhighway.
My favorite telescopic dark (absorption) nebula in
Cepheus is the well-named 90′-long, sinuous Seahorse
Nebula, Barnard 150. It's detectable by the lack of stars
- there's no background Milky Way glow visible here at

Star magnitudes

How often have we read that the complex of Milky
Way dust clouds composing the Great Rift broadens
into the Northern Coalsack, then ends at Deneb? Yes,
the most prominent section of the rift ends at Deneb,
but in a fine sky the unaided eye can trace our edge-on
galaxy's dust lane past Cassiopeia and all the way to
westernmost Camelopardalis! The rift zigzags around
the northwestern side of Deneb and the North America
Nebula, crosses the great 12°°-long black gash of the Funnel Cloud Nebula (Le Gentil 3), and continues through
Zeta (ζ) and Iota (ι) Cephei. The chain of dust clouds
passes a few degrees poleward of Epsilon (ε) Cassiopeiae,
and finally peters out near BK Camelopardalis. This is
almost 55° of galactic longitude past Deneb! The brighter
side of the Milky Way lies to the south of the dust clouds,
but north of the rift the fainter side of the Milky Way
extends up to Polaris.

Nebulae Dark and Bright
Object

Type

Opacity

Size

+60° 18′

21h 39.1m

+57° 30′

10′

21h

34.9m

+56° 43′

3′

21h

40.4m

+57° 49′

4′

21h

42.2m

+56° 42′

Dark Nebula

5

60′

IC 1396

Emission Nebula

-

170′ × 140′

Dark Nebula

4

Dec.

50.7m

B150

B365

RA
20h

_

+62°

B163
vdB 142
B366

Dark Nebula
Dark Nebula
Reflection Nebula
Dark Nebula

6
4
-
3

49′

21h 36.0m

+59° 34′

58.9m

+58° 45′

B169

Dark Nebula

3

60′

21h

B170

Dark Nebula

4

15′

21h 58.1m

+58° 57′

B171

Dark Nebula

5

91′

22h 01.3m

+58° 52′

B173

Dark Nebula

6

4′

22h 07.5m

+59° 40′

19′

22h

+59° 04′

B174

Dark Nebula

6

07.3m

Opacity is measured on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is least opaque and 6 is most opaque.
Angular sizes are from recent catalogs. Visually, an object's size is often smaller than the
cataloged value and varies according to the aperture and magnification of the viewing
instrument. Right ascension and declination are for equinox 2000.0.

B150

12

h

B173-74

c
+58°

21h 40.4m

B152

i

+57° 24′

10′

d

9

+60°
B161

3
4
5
6
7
8

B366

B169-70-71
14

CEPHEUS

+
B161
vdB 142

IC 1396

¡
+56°

13

B163

B365

+54°

22h 00m

21h 40m

21h 20m

Sk yandTelescope.com November 2016

21h 00m

57


http://www.SkyandTelescope.com

Sky and Telescope - November 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - November 2016

Contents
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - Cover1
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - Cover2
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 1
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - Contents
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 3
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - A
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - B
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 4
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 5
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 6
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 7
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 8
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 9
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 10
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 11
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 12
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 13
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 14
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 15
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 16
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 17
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 18
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 19
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 20
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 21
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 22
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 23
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 24
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 25
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 26
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 27
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 28
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 29
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 30
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 31
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 32
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 33
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 34
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 35
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 36
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 37
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 38
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 39
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 40
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 41
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 42
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 43
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 44
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 45
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 46
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 47
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 48
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 49
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 50
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 51
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 52
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 53
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 54
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 55
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 56
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 57
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 58
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 59
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 60
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 61
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 62
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 63
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 64
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 65
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 66
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 67
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 68
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 69
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 70
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 71
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 72
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 73
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 74
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 75
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 76
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 77
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 78
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 79
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 80
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 81
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 82
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 83
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - 84
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - Cover3
Sky and Telescope - November 2016 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202404_qr
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202401_aus
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202312_aus
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202304_qr
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/skywatch_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_mars
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aas/st_201001
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com