Reflection nebula · Orion
NGC 1788 Cosmic Bat Nebula
Also known as: LBN 916
mag 5.82′ across
About
NGC 1788, the Cosmic Bat Nebula, is a reflection nebula of magnitude 5.8 in Orion, about 2′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 1788 is in the constellation Orion.
- Best evenings: around late January it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 77° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)A faint haze around its stars, from a dark site.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A faint glow around its stars. The blue colour shows only in photos.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 1788, LBN 916 |
|---|---|
| Type | Reflection nebula |
| Magnitude | 5.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 2′ × 2′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 05h 06m 53.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −03° 20′ 28″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →