One More Light - vdB 87

The 87th entry on Sydney van den Bergh’s list of reflection nebulas is one of my favorite in the entire vdB Catalogue. It’s thought to be about 2,900 light years away and exhibits properties of both reflection nebulas, and also emission nebulas. This object is very rarely photographed, and generally when it is, it doesn’t involve long total exposure times. But what I see in the data is strong red and blue signals in broadband as well as a strong presence in Ha narrowband, which leads me to the conclusion that it has properties of both kinds of nebulas.

I could only find four images of this gorgeous reflection nebula on the web. It's definitely worth a deep dive. I'm shocked that no one else has gone after this one hard. 

Hence, another title reference to things of value right in front of us that we often don't see. I miss Chester Bennington and wonder what might have been. But I'd like to dedicate this image to Atilla Danko, who died on November 28, 2024. I used his weather site for years and found it to be the most accurate and easiest to use that I'd come across. Who cares if one more light goes out? Well, I do.