NGC6888

NGC6888 in Cygnus is often called the "Crescent Nebula" from its shape.
I find this to be a visually very interesting object in a 12.5-inch telescope with an O-III filter. It looks to me as a miniature version of the Veil nebula. It is possible to see at least as much in the eyepiece as in many photos of the object, and to me it looks more like a figure "6" than a crescent. With my aperture this is one of the most interesting diffuse nebulae in the northern celestial hemisphere. I could see it in my 8-inch too, but this nebula gains a lot by the increase to 12.5 inches. It must be a great sight in larger instruments. Any reports?

Inge Skauvik
Haavik, Norway

Inge, NGC 6888 is one of my favorites. In my 13" with OIII, I find that it looks like a complete oval, with the brighter crescent shape of course. In some long exposure images you see the entire oval also, but I'm not sure if my brain is completing the oval for me or if I'm actually seeing it. :S

Doug

Inge,

I found this object to be difficult in my 152mm refractor from a dark sky site and with a UHC filter. An arc in the northern section was most prominent, and I did see a complete oval, which I thought might have been my mind/eye playing tricks on me.

Regards,
Louis Marchesi
New London Township, PA, USA

I haven't looked at NGC6888 recently, but when I first saw it in my 17 inch Dob with an OIII filter, in about 1987, I thought it looked like a potato.