RA 82.8537° · Dec -71.0691° · openngc
12 more points to reach Rare.
NGC 2018 is an uncommon nebula. It sits in the constellation Men and shines at apparent magnitude 10.89.
An H II region: a cloud of hydrogen being ionised by the ultraviolet flood from hot young stars inside it. Every one is a star factory caught mid-production.
Look for NGC 2018 in the constellation Men. At apparent magnitude 10.89, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 2018 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.
NGC 2018 scores 22 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 12 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 2 science badges — Nebula and Star-forming region — 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.