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IC 63 Ghost Nebula

IC 63 Ghost Nebula

Powerful gushers of energy from seething stars can sculpt eerie-looking figures with long flowing veils of gas and dust. One striking example is "the Ghost of Cassiopeia," officially known as IC 63, located 550 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.

The nebula’s ethereal glow might remind people of apparitions such as those reported by paranormal investigators. In reality, it's simply hydrogen that is being bombarded with ultraviolet radiation from the nearby, blue-giant star Gamma Cassiopeiae (not seen here), causing it to glow in red light. The blue color is from light reflected off of the nebula’s dust.

The IC 63 nebula is not the only object under the influence of the blinding star, which unleashes as much energy as 34,000 suns. The Ghost Nebula is part of a much larger nebulous region surrounding Gamma Cassiopeiae that measures approximately two degrees on the sky — roughly four times as wide as the full Moon.

The constellation Cassiopeia is visible every clear night from mid-northern and higher latitudes. Its distinctive "W" asterism, which forms the queen's throne, is best seen high in the sky on autumn and winter evenings. Gamma Cassiopeiae, the middle star in the W, is visible to the unaided eye, but a large telescope is needed to see IC 63.

Hubble photographed IC 63 in August 2016.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    00:59:04.68
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +60:53:42.12
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Cassiopeia
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    IC 63 is located about 550 light-years away from Earth.
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 2.7 arcmin across (about 0.5 light-years).

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The HST observations include those from program 14186 H. Arab (University of Strasbourg).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS, WFC3/IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    Aug 26 - Sep 01, 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F275W, F336W, F475W, F625W, F814W, F110W, F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    IC 63
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Nebula
  • Release Date
    October 25, 2018
  • Science Release
    Hubble Captures the Ghost of Cassiopeia
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and STScI Acknowledgment: H. Arab (University of Strasbourg)

Downloads

  • 1970 × 2000
    png (7.07 MB)
  • Full Res, 4072 × 4133
    png (29.91 MB)
  • 985 × 1000
    png (1.59 MB)
  • Full Res, 4072 × 4133
    tif (36.24 MB)
IC 63 Ghost Nebula
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Purple: F275W Blue: F336W Blue: F475W Green: F625W Orange: F814W Red: F110W Red: F160W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 05, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov