One of the more interesting summer deep-sky objects is the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888 / Caldwell 27). If you look closely it appears to be in the shape of a crescent with a background of other nebulosity and stars of the Milky Way. It is an emission nebula 26 light years wide and around 5,000 light year away from us. It has an apparent magnitude of 7.4 and dimensions of 18’ x 12’. It is found at RA: 20h 12m 7s and DEC: +38o 21.3’ in the constellation Cygnus along the neck of the swan and 2.7 degrees southwest of the bright star Sadr, which is the center of the Northern Cross.
These are image from an S50 & S30 Pro Seestar, the club’s observatory, and an ASKAR V. Most are processed using Siril.
Siril: (C. Richard et al., Journal of Open Source Software, 2024, 9(102), 7242. DOI: 10.21105/joss.07242)
- “Crescent Nebula.” Constellation Guide. December 31, 2018.
- “Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) & Soap Bubble Nebula (Ju 1).” Deep-Sky Corner.
- “Crescent Nebula – Facts and Info About NGC 6888.” The Planets.
- Trevor Jones. “The Crescent Nebula.” AstroBackyard.
- Russell Deeks. “The Crescent Nebula is a cosmic cloud glowing as it’s blasted by radiation from a rare type of star.” BBC Sky At Night Magazine. August 12, 2024.
- Phil Harrington. “Crescent Nebula.” Astronomy Magazine. January 1, 2024. Updated January 8, 2024.
- “Caldwell 27.” NASA.
Find out much more about astrophotography, deep-sky objects, and the night sky from FAS.
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