NGC 2163 = Cederblad 63
Orion
RA
06 07 49.5
DEC
+18 39 27
MAG 11 for the central star, EM* LkHA 208
Type: Bi-Polar Reflection Nebula
Discovered by Edouard Stephan in 1874 using the 31.5 inch Foucault reflector at the Marseille Observatory, NGC 2163 went missing because Dreyer copied Stephan’s declination measurement incorrectly in the first edition of the New General Catalog. For more about the history of how this fascinating object was lost and found again, check out The NGC/IC Project at http://www.ngcicproject.org/ or O’Meara’s Hidden Treasures, pages 174-177.
2163 is a beautiful example of a bi-polar reflection nebula showing two opposing outflows, with the northern flow being the brighter of the two. Notes from my first observation from April 1, 2008 state:
“This bi-polar nebula is considerably fainter than I expected. One side is obviously brighter, but then that’s still pretty faint. The best view is at 253x and is slightly enhanced with the broadband filter. This is a nifty object; too bad it’s not a little brighter. 10:23pm, 21.20 SQM.” (28 inch f/4 from Chuck Dethloff’s front yard, 600 feet altitude)
My second observation from September 28, 2008 was a little better:
“A much better view of this bi-polar nebula than from Chuck’s place – the two flows are quite distinct and relatively easy to see at low power. The northern flow is brightest and most distinct though. Best view at 253x but almost as good at 408x. 4:53am, 21.95 SQM.” (28 inch f/4 from Steens Mountain, 7400 feet altitude)
No surprise, this shows how a darker, more transparent sky and altitude can improve an observation, but also that my first observation was pretty good – even though I had to work harder to see 2163 well and I didn’t benefit from using a higher magnification.
Here’s my sketch from Steens Mountain and a DSS image to compare – note there’s a lot of fainter nebulosity in the area.
N2163_sketch crop.jpg dss_N2163 crop and rotate.jpg
The pinched waist area was pronounced at both observations, which make the north and south outflows resemble an hourglass, although the nebula visually surrounds the star LkHA 208, from which the outflows originate. I haven’t tried a smaller scope on 2163 yet, although O’Meara’s sketch in Hidden Treasures shows both outflows and he used a 4 inch refractor. He notes that the nebula seems separated from the star “by a tiny spit of dust” – what do you see?
“GIVE IT A GO AND LET US KNOW”
GOOD LUCK AND GREAT VIEWING!
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