NGC 1435
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| NGC 1435 | |
 The Merope Nebula and surrounding nebulosity in Pleiades, taken by the Spitzer space telescope |
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| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
|---|---|
| Type | Reflection |
| Right ascension | 03h 46m[1] |
| Declination | +23° 54′[1] |
| Distance | 0.44 kly (0.13 kpc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 13[2] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 30′[2] |
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 2 ly |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | 8 |
| Notable features | In Pleiades; contains IC 349 |
| Other designations | NGC 1435, Merope Nebula, Tempel's Nebula[2] |
| See also: Diffuse nebula, Lists of nebulae | |
The Merope Nebula (also known as Tempel's Nebula, or NGC 1435) is a diffuse reflection nebula, possibly a supernova remnant[2] in the Pleiades star cluster, surrounding the star Merope. It was discovered on October 19, 1859 by the German astronomer Wilhelm Tempel. John Herschel, in his New General Catalog (NGC), described it as a very faint nebula about Merope about the size of the full moon.
The Merope Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 13. It is illuminated entirely by the star Merope, which is embedded in the nebula. It contains a bright knot, IC 349, about half an arcminute wide near Merope. It appears blue in photographs because of the fine carbon dust spread throughout the cloud. Though it was once thought the Pleiades formed from this and surrounding nebulas, it is known that the Pleiades nebulosity is caused by a chance encounter with the cloud.
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