Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025

LDN 1355, often called the "Helping Hand Nebula," is a dark nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It gets its nickname from its distinctive shape, which looks like an outstretched human hand. It is part of a complex of nebulae, including LDN 1357 and LDN 1358. Unlike bright or emission nebulae, dark nebulae don't emit or reflect light; instead, they are dense clouds of dust and gas that obscure the starlight from the stars behind them. Its distance is uncertain, between 700 and 3,000 light-years from Earth. LDN 1355 is also located near the blue reflection nebula VdB 9 that is situated just below the "palm" of the helping hand and is illuminated by the star SU Cas. The nebula is a stellar nursery, an active region where new stars are forming. Within its boundaries, interstellar gas and dust condense under gravity to create both massive, bright stars and smaller, fainter ones. The name LDN 1355 comes from the Lynds' Catalogue of Dark Nebulae, a catalog compiled by American astronomer Beverly Turner Lynds in 1962. Image acquired with this setup: Askar FRA 600 on AM5, ASI 2600MC, OAG with ASI 220mini, EAF. 162 frames 300 seconds each in CFA from Forca Canapine (SQM 21.4)