LBN 960

LBN 960 is an emission nebula in Orion, 1,300 light-years away

LBN 960 is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion, 1,300 light-years away. Lynds rated it brightness class 3 of 6, moderately bright, and color class 3, reddish. It spans 30′ × 20′ of sky, about 11.3 light-years across. It is a telescope object under a dark sky; a nebula filter helps, and it is highest in the evening sky in January.

Emission nebula: a cloud of gas, mostly hydrogen, made to glow by the ultraviolet light of hot young stars. It shines in the red light of hydrogen-alpha, and a nebula filter helps it stand out from the sky.

Finding LBN 960 from Rigel

LBN 960 lies 2.6° northeast of Rigel, the magnitude 0.2 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.

LBN 960 is highest in the evening in January

The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 84°N.

LBN 960 is 1,300 light-years away

The light seen from LBN 960 tonight left it about 1,300 years ago, around 726 AD. Distance source: Sh2-276, Orion OB1 / Orion complex about 400 pc, Foley et al. 2023 (A 3D View of Orion I: Barnard's Loop).

19 Lynds bright nebulae and 5 Lynds dark nebulae lie within 5° of LBN 960

The nearest:

• LDN 1634, dark nebula, 19′
• LBN 956, emission nebula, 34′
• LBN 957, reflection nebula, 42′
• LBN 964, reflection nebula, 46′
• LBN 961, reflection nebula, 1.1°
• LBN 969, reflection nebula, 1.3°
• LBN 945, reflection nebula, 1.4°
• LBN 942, reflection nebula, 2.2°
• LBN 937, reflection nebula, 2.5°
• LDN 1640, dark nebula, 3.5°

NGC and IC objects in the field that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

• NGC 1924, barred spiral galaxy, 2.2°

LBN 960 catalog data