Barnard 168 is a long sinuous dark nebula in Cygnus.

At the eastern end of B168, at left in the above image, lies IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula.

B168 is easily visible in binoculars and is a fascinating object amidst the rich star fields of Cygnus. It lies 3 degrees east-southeast of open cluster M39.

B168 has an apparent size of 45 x 120 arcminutes.

If B168 is, in fact, associated with IC 5146, it would lie at approximately the same distance as IC 5146, 4,000 light-years away.

B168 was cataloged by E. E. Barnard in 1919.

North is to the top in the above image.

IC 5146 and Barnard 168 Catalogs: B 168 Object Type: Dark Nebula Size: 120' x 45' Constellation: Cygnus Image Field Centered At: RA: 21h 48m 33s Dec: +47° 24' 19"