The 'Hungry' Ghost Nebula: vdB 141 in Cepheus | Mayall Telescope

The 'Hungry' Ghost Nebula: vdB 141 in Cepheus | Mayall Telescope

The Hungry Ghost Festival on August 18 this year is one of the most eerie celebrations in Chinese culture. In Hong Kong, the city comes alive with vibrant rituals and community events that are steeped in superstition and rituals. The festival is thought to have roots in Buddhist, Taoist, and folk traditions dating back to the Tang dynasty (618-907). According to Chinese folklore, the festival is a time when ghosts and spirits are free to wander the earth. During this time, the rituals are observed to try and avoid the wrath of wandering spirits.

This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic Camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. vdB 141 is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. Sometimes referred to as the ghost nebula, its awkward name is its catalog number in Sidney van den Bergh's catalog of reflection nebulae, published in 1966. Several stars are embedded in the nebula. Their light gives it a ghoulish brown color. North is down and East is to the right. 

The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four-meter (158 inches) reflector telescope in Arizona named after Nicholas U. Mayall. It saw first light on February 27, 1973, and was the second-largest telescope in the world at that time.

Image Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Caption Credit: NOIRLab/SCMP

Image Date: Aug. 28, 2009

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