A Lonely Beacon in a Dark Sea
vdB 152 is a blue reflection nebula created by a single star (BD+69 1231) that is currently passing through a very dense region of interstellar dust. Unlike many nebulae where the star was born inside the gas, this is a chance encounter—the star is just a 'traveler' lighting up a dark corner of a molecular cloud. The surrounding dark dust is part of the 'Cepheus Flare,' a massive complex of cold gas that sits high above the plane of our galaxy.
Imaging Challenges
- • Subtle Contrast: The dark nebula is only slightly darker than the star-filled background. This requires extremely clean flats and a lack of light pollution.
- • Color Balance: You need to capture the deep, 'inky' browns of the dust while preserving the delicate electric blue of the reflection core.
- • Faint H-alpha: In very deep exposures, there is a faint red supernova remnant (SNR G110.3+11.3) that laces through the background. Capturing this 'red smoke' requires long integration.
Because it looks like a ghostly figure perched atop a dark pedestal, it is a favorite target for 'spooky' themed astrophotography in October.