Your deep sky companionYour deep sky imaging companion
Tulip Nebula (Sh2-101)
emission nebula in Cygnus
The Tulip Nebula is a small emission nebula in Cygnus that is lit by a hot, bright star and sits next to the bright X-ray source Cygnus X-1. Its petal shapes stand out well in narrowband images, and it is a popular choice with the Crescent Nebula nearby.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- Sh2-101
- Also known as
- Sharpless 101, Sh 2-101
- Type
- emission nebula
- Constellation
- Cygnus
- Size
- 16′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9
- Distance
- roughly 6,000 to 8,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jul
- Typical prime months
- May to Oct
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- Narrowband: Ha / OIII / SII, or a dual-band / UHC filter
Pick a saved location or share your device location. Your coordinates are used only to calculate tonight and are not stored. To save locations, use the planner.
How to image Tulip Nebula
- It is about 16 arcminutes across; 800 to 1,500 mm suits it.
- Ha and OIII work best, and the shapes are strong even in short sets.
- It shares a wide field with the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888).
Framing: what focal length?
Sh2-101 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 20% |
| 2,000 mm | about 40% |
| 3,000 mm | about 59% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point Sh2-101 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 70° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 80° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 90° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 80° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 20° | Stays low |
Also worth imaging
Want a GO / NO-GO verdict for tonight, with clouds, moon, seeing and a full dark-window timeline?
Open the planner