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In a quiet corner of the constellation Cepheus, nestled among dust clouds and silence, there
blooms a cosmic flower—a brilliant blue haze that seems to unfurl its petals across the night
sky. This is NGC 7023, better known as the Iris Nebula.
But before it became a shimmering canvas of light and dust, it was the tear of a muse.

The Forgotten Muse of the Cosmos

Long ago, when stars were still being named and galaxies freshly painted, there existed nine
muses of inspiration. But the tenth—Irielle—was left out. She wasn’t a muse of music or
poetry or dance. She inspired wonder—the silent kind that bubbles up when you stare into the
void and feel something sacred.
She was invisible to mortals, forgotten in myths, and never summoned by artists. So Irielle
drifted into the darkness beyond the constellations, her heart dimmed by isolation.
Then, one night, a traveler from Earth looked up and whispered,
“I wish I could paint the feeling of starlight.”
And in that moment, Irielle wept—a single tear of radiant joy. That tear bloomed into the Iris
Nebula, a delicate bloom of light and dust, forever glowing in the dark as proof that even
forgotten muses can still inspire the world.

What Is the Iris Nebula?

Catalog Name: NGC 7023
Nickname: Iris Nebula
Type: Reflection nebula (meaning it shines by reflecting the light of nearby stars)
Location: About 1,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus
Size: Around 6 light-years wide
Central Star: HD 200775—a young, bright star illuminating the surrounding gas and dust
The Iris Nebula glows with rich blues, caused by light scattering through interstellar dust—
much like how Earth’s sky looks blue. It’s framed by deep shadows and soft curls of gas that
look like petals, making it one of the more artistically poetic objects in the sky.

Final Thoughts

The Iris Nebula is a reminder that the cosmos is filled with quiet beauty—not all stars explode
in fury; some simply bloom in stillness.
So if you’re ever feeling forgotten or unseen, remember Irielle. She became a nebula—not
through rage or ambition—but through a single, inspired tear. And now? She’s immortal in
the sky.