Sh2-156 is an emission nebula (H II region) in Cepheus, 8,350 light-years away
Sh2-156 (IC 1470) is an emission nebula (H II region) in the constellation Cepheus , 8,350 light-years away. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in October.
Nebula: a cloud of gas and dust. Emission nebulae glow on their own, lit by ultraviolet light from hot young stars; reflection nebulae shine by starlight scattered from dust; dark nebulae block the light behind them.
Sh2-156 is Sh2-156 in the Sharpless catalog
Stewart Sharpless listed it in his catalog of H II regions (1959), drawn from the red and blue prints of the Palomar Sky Survey. He rated each region's brightness on a scale of 1 to 3; Sh2-156 is bright (class 3 of 3).
Finding Sh2-156 from Caph
Caph
Sh2-156
CEPHEUS
Sh2-156 lies 8.1° west of Caph , the magnitude 2.3 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
Sh2-156 is highest in the evening in October
JAN
FEB
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APR
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JUL
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SEP
OCT
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DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 72° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 86° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 79° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 65° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 79° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 73° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 65° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 35° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 39° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 8° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -36° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -45° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -59° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -66° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
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 northern hemisphere and south to about 30°S, and never sets north of 30°N.
Sh2-156 is 8,350 light-years away
The light seen from Sh2-156 tonight left it about 8,350 years ago. It ranks 87 of 159 by distance among the Sharpless nebulae with a measured distance. Distance source: Gaia EDR3 ionizing stars, Mendez-Delgado et al. 2022 (2.56 kpc).
Objects within 6° of Sh2-156
NGC 7510, open cluster, 49′ Sh2-157 Lobster Claw Nebula, ring nebula, 1.4° Sh2-159, emission nebula (H II region), 1.6° Sh2-152, emission nebula (H II region), 1.7° Sh2-153, emission nebula (H II region), 1.7° Sh2-154, emission nebula (H II region), 1.9° Sh2-146, emission nebula (H II region), 2.0° Sh2-149, molecular cloud, 2.1°
Sh2-156 catalog data
Field Value
Designations IC 1470 Type emission nebula (H II region) Constellation Cepheus Right ascension (J2000) 23h 05.0m Declination (J2000) +60° 15′ Distance 8,350 light-years (Gaia EDR3 ionizing stars, Mendez-Delgado et al. 2022 (2.56 kpc)) Best month October Best with Telescope Sharpless number Sh2-156 Sharpless brightness Bright (class 3 of 3)
