The Iris Reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus

The Iris Nebula in modified SHO format. The PIRATE Robotic Telescope,Mount Teide, Teneriffe.   Data Credit: telescope.org. Open Observatories, Open University. Image Credit: Kurt Thrust.

" Kurt was feeling a little better today and so he and the JPO engineer, Jolene McSquint-Fleming, were busy remaking a diffraction grating for the Seestar S30. They decided to make a grating, which covers the full aperture of the little scope rather than  partially. It will be interesting to see whether this affects the accuracy of the scope's guidance and goto software". - Joel Cairo CEO at the JPO.

The new-recycled magnetic 50 lines/mm
full aperture grating for the Seestar 30

Spectrum produced by the above grating
using the JPO Visitor Centre door security peep hole
as an artificial star.

" If we get a clear night soon, we will try the new grating out and develop a capture process, which enables the removal of stars and hot spots, which otherwise corrupt the  target and calibration spectra". - Kurt Thrust current Director of the JPO.

" The Iris Nebula, cataloged as NGC 7023, is a bright reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, approximately 1,300 light-years from Earth. It is a striking example of a dust cloud illuminated by starlight rather than by its own emission. At its center lies a young, hot star designated HD 200775, whose intense blue-white radiation reflects off surrounding interstellar dust grains. This scattering process preferentially reflects shorter wavelengths, giving the nebula its characteristic bluish hue, much like the mechanism that makes Earth’s sky appear blue.

The nebula spans roughly six light-years across and is embedded within a larger molecular cloud complex. Its structure reveals striking contrasts: bright filaments and wisps where dust strongly reflects starlight, interspersed with dark lanes where dense concentrations of material obscure illumination. Infrared observations have shown that the dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are thought to play a role in interstellar chemistry and may represent building blocks of more complex organic compounds.

Unlike emission nebulae, which glow due to ionized gas, the Iris Nebula remains primarily a reflection nebula because the radiation from its central star is not energetic enough to fully ionize the surrounding hydrogen gas. Instead, the nebula’s beauty lies in the interplay of light and shadow, highlighting the distribution of interstellar dust and providing astronomers with insights into the conditions of stellar nurseries". - Professor G.P.T Chat visiting astrophysicist at the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Enlarged and cropped view of the spectacular Iris reflection Nebula