44 Cygni with Reflection Nebula vdB 133
History
The reflection nebula vdB 133 (LBN 218) was discovered by Sidney van den Bergh on the Palomar Sky Survey photographic plates and included as No. 133 in his 1966 Catalog of Reflection Nebulae. [255]
Physical Properties
It is a dusty nebula with an angular diameter of about 10 arc minutes, which surrounds the variable binary star 44 Cygni and reflects its light. The components of 44 Cygni are 6.2 mag and 10.1 mag bright and 2.2 arc seconds apart. The main star is a yellow supergiant of spectral type F5Ib. Parallax measurements by the Gaia spacecraft showed a distance of 1240 pc (about 4000 light-years) and a motion with a velocity of about 20 km/s in our direction Northwest of vdB 133 is still the extensive H-II emission nebula LBN 219 of red glowing, ionized hydrogen gas. [145]
Finder Chart
The nebula vdB 133 is located in the eastern wing of Cygnus at the star 44 Cygni. In the months of April to November, this constellation is favorable for observation.
