Exposures: 90 min Lum; 45 min each RGB (in 5 min subs)
FOV =96 x 65 arc minutes (reduced 60% of original size)
Known as the Iris nebula because it resembles the flower, NGC7023 is actually the open cluster at the center of the nebula. LBN 487 is the designation of the reflection nebula. The bright reflection nebula is lit by the mag 7.4 star SAO 19158 Its blue color is characteristic of dust and grains reflecting starlight. This wide field image also shows the surrounding dense dust lanes extending more than 20 light years across.
1,300 light years away
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