Observer's guide
About Bow-Tie Nebula
Bow-Tie Nebula (C2) is catalogued as a planetary nebula in Cepheus. Its J2000 position is RA 00:13:00, Dec +72:32:00, corresponding to 3.2542 degrees RA and 72.522 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 3,500 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 0.1 by 0.77 arcminutes.
Observing tips
StarWatchr rates this as a very hard target at magnitude 11. It is associated with autumn observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around September. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 69.5 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
Because it is faint, use a larger aperture where possible, avoid bright Moon conditions, and use averted vision.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is PN. A published radial velocity value is -20.5 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 638 bibliographic references.
At roughly 0.1 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 0.1 by 0.77 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.