About IC 359A
IC 359A is an uncommon nebula. It sits in the constellation Tau.
A reflection nebula. It produces no light at all; it is dust catching the glare of a nearby star and scattering it back at us.
Uncommon nebula 26 EP
IC 359A
RA 64.6708° · Dec 28.2900° · openngc
Score breakdown
· 4 badgesUncommon 34 pts → Rare
- Reflection nebula +10
- Nebula +8
- Big on the sky +5
- On the zodiac +3
Total score 26
8 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Nebula · +8
- Reflection nebula · +10
- On the zodiac · +3
- Big on the sky · +5
Trivia
What it actually is
- What it actually is. A reflection nebula. It produces no light at all; it is dust catching the glare of a nearby star and scattering it back at us.
Find it in the sky
- Where to look. You'll find it in the constellation Taurus.
- Northern sky. It rides the northern half of the sky — an easier target the further north you are.
- Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around November — that's when to go looking.
Its true colour
- Its true colour. It looks blue for exactly the reason Earth's sky is blue: fine dust scatters short blue wavelengths far more efficiently than long red ones.
How we came to know it
- The Index Catalogue. The IC was the 1895 and 1908 supplement to the NGC — the first catalogue in history to be filled largely with objects found on photographic plates rather than by eye.
Properties
- constellation
- Tau
- dso type
- RfN
- name
- IC 359A
- size arcmin
- 15
Nearby objects
- Common HD 283518 variable star · 0.2° away
- Uncommon HD 27159 star · 0.2° away
- Uncommon HD 283572 variable star · 0.7° away
- Uncommon HD 283571 variable star · 0.7° away
- Common HD 27404 variable star · 0.7° away
- Uncommon HD 281934 variable star · 0.8° away
- Trash HD 26709 star · 1.0° away
- Common HD 283447 variable star · 1.0° away
How to see it
Look for IC 359A in the constellation Tau.
Like any astronomical target, IC 359A is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why IC 359A is an uncommon nebula
IC 359A scores 26 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 8 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 4 science badges — Nebula, Reflection nebula, On the zodiac and Big on the sky — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.