Galactic Nebula IC 466

History

This nebula was discovered on 18 February 1893 by French astronomer Stephane Javelle using the 30-inch f/23 refractor «Grande Lunette» at Nice Observatory. He listed it as J 2-616. Dreyer added it as IC 466 to his first «Index Catalogue of Nebulae» published in 1895. His description reads: «Stars 11.5 mag in very faint nebulosity.» [277, 314]

In 1946 Swedish astronomer Sven Cederblad published his «Studies of bright diffuse galactic nebulae with special regard to their spatial distribution» and included IC 466 as Cederblad 92. [402]

In 1947 the German-American astronomer Rudolph Minkowski listed IC 466 with the designation M 2-63 as a diffuse emission nebula. [454]

In 1959 the American astronomer Stewart Sharpless published his «Catalogue of H II Regions» where he listed this nebula as Sh 2-288 a bright nebula of irregular form with 1 arcminute in diameter. [310]

In 1965 the American astronomer Beverly Lynds published her «Catalogue of Bright Nebulae» and listed this nebula as number LBN 1013 or referred by the galactic coordinates as LBN 218.66+01.84. [270]

Physical Properties

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationIC 466
TypeEN
Right Ascension (J2000.0)07h 08m 38.9s
Declination (J2000.0)-04° 19' 02"
Diameter1 × 1 arcmin
Metric Distance3.000 kpc
Dreyer Description* 11.5 in vF neb
Identification, RemarksCED 92; Sh2-288

Finder Chart

The nebula IC 466 is located in the constellation Monoceros. The best season for observation is from October until March.

Monoceros: Galactic Nebula IC 466
Finder Chart Galactic Nebula IC 466
11:53
17:06 | 38.8°
22:18
Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. Times are shown for timezone UTC, Latitude 46.7996°, Longitude 8.23225°, Horizon height 5°, Date 2025-04-14. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 15°

References