Nebula
Sh2-131
H II region
A cloud of ionised hydrogen (H II region): a stellar nursery glowing in the ultraviolet light of the young, hot O and B stars inside it. The distance follows from the gas’s radial velocity and the Galaxy’s rotation curve (kinematic method).
| Type | Nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Distance | 989 pc (3.2 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 142.2 ly |
| WISE name | G099.484+03.801 |
| Catalogue status | Known H II region |
| Source | WISE H II Catalog v3.0 |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 39m 43.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +57° 39′ 51″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 1201 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 57 million years.