A Faint Glow in Cepheus

In the summer of 2025, while imaging and progressively stacking the data of the region around the nebula Sh2-135 , I noticed something unexpected — a faint, soft patch of light that didn’t correspond to any catalogued object. At first, I assumed it was an artifact, maybe a reflection or a gradient. But night after night, across different filters, the feature persisted.

Using my Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED telescope and ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, I gathered over 114 hours of narrowband data through Antlia 2.5 nm Hα, S II, and O III filters. When the channels came together, a subtle nebular shape appeared near HD 213231, a B-type star in Cepheus — a star with no previously known nebula near or around it. See the image and a nebula structure towards left-bottom.

Verification and Confirmation

To verify what I was seeing, I aimed my Celestron 9.25″ EdgeHD with a 0.7× reducer at the same coordinates and began a follow-up campaign.
Over several moonless nights, I accumulated an additional 44 hours of narrowband data: 10 hours of Hα, 24 hours of S II, and 10 hours of O III.

As I processed the new data, the structure revealed itself clearly — a compact emission nebula, rich in hydrogen and sulfur emissions, with faint oxygen traces.
The strong Hα and [S II] signals, combined with a high Hα-to-O III ratio, suggested a moderately ionized H II region, likely energized by HD 213231 itself.

Position and Scale

• Center (J2000): RA 22 28 30.57 Dec +58 50 52.78

• Apparent Size: ≈ 6.5′ × 3.5′

• Associated Star: HD 213231 (B8 Ve)

Faint traces of the same structure appear in the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) when viewed in Aladin Lite using a square-root stretch — supporting the conclusion that this is a genuine, previously uncatalogued emission nebula.

From Backyard to the Literature

Encouraged by these results, I compiled the data and submitted a report to the American Astronomical Society’s Research Notes.
In November 2025, it was accepted and published as:

“Discovery of an Uncatalogued Emission Nebula Around HD 213231 in Cepheus.”
AAS Research Notes, Vol. 9 (2025)
DOI 10.3847/2515-5172/ae1c1a

I have informally named this object the Badr 1 Nebula.

Equipment and Acquisition

Dates: Oct, 2025
Telescopes:
Celestron 9.25 EdgeHD

Mounts:
Sky-Watcher EQ6-r pro

Camera:
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro

Filters:
Antlia 2.5nm S,H,O

Exposures:
Ha: 10h (600s exposures)
S2: 24 hours (600s exposures)
O3: 10h (600s exposures)

Total Integration: 44h

Software: PixInsight, Photoshop

Reflections:

It’s humbling to realize that even from a light-polluted backyard, there are still places in the cosmos waiting to be noticed.
The Badr 1 Nebula is a reminder that discovery doesn’t require a large observatory — only patience, curiosity, and the night sky.