Sh2-150 and vdB 154 with RNO 142

This field in the Cepheus constellation presented the opportunity to capture three interesting and aesthetically pleasing objects at once.

The first, Sh2-150, comes from the Sharpless catalogue. It’s the central area of the image dominated by red caused by light emissions from hydrogen ions. It appears to be roughly 2,900 light years away and is likely part of a couple of associations of massive stars in Cepheus called OB associations. Here’s an isolated shot of it:

To the upper right of Sh2-150, you can see the second interesting object: the blue nebula vdB 154. Listed in Sidney van den Bergh’s catalogue of 159 nebulas as the 154th entry. These nebulas are visible primarily because they reflect the light of a bright, nearby (usually blue) star or stars. Here’s an isolated shot showing vdB 154:

The third object of interest goes by the designation RNO 142. It is the yellow-orange fan-shaped cloud toward the lower right directly below the left edge of vdB 154. RNO is shorthand for Red and nebulous objects in dark clouds : a survey that Martin Cohen compiled and published in early 1980. The survey catalogued 150 objects that included Herbig-Haro objects and T Tauri stars. Herbig-Haro objects are areas of bright nebulosity created by jets from newly formed stars. T Tauri stars are very young stars that fluctuate in brightness. Further study will be required to determine whether RNO 142 is a Herbig-Haro object or T Tauri star. Here’s a close crop of it: