VdB 149 is a small part of a much larger dust cloud illuminated by the star BD+72 1018. According to The Sky's database, it is about 1000 light-years from earth. On the other side of the cloud is another star illuminating the cloud which creates vdB 150. I'm posting this one out of order so the two are seen back to back since they are related. The illuminating star of vdB 150 is an 8th magnitude B8IV star while the illuminating star for vdB 149 is a B8V star. The difference is the former is a giant blue star while the illuminating star for vdB 149 is a main sequence blue star and thus about 2 magnitudes fainter since they are at virtually the same distance.

Conditions were again very poor, especially for the color data. Again I threw out a lot of frames to get a few sort of usable ones. Most years 10 quick frames and I'm done. Most of 2012 was try for several nights, throw out 2/3rds (about 19 in this case) and hope what's left works. Due to lousy transparency for the color files, much of the fainter nebulosity has no or little color.

For some reason, vdB 149 reminds me of a small chainsaw, the handle formed by the hole on the right side and the top of the bar the blue streak running east. The bottom of the bar is missing. I've probably spent far too many hours using a chainsaw cutting my way out of the woods to the township road after storms all these years. So far that's not been necessary this year. Did I just jinx myself? I'm likely the only one to see that in the object.

14" LX200R @ f/10, L=4x10' RG=2x10' B=3x10' (all blue really poor), STL-11000XM, Paramount ME