Astronomers have imaged three faint nebulas in the constellation Cassiopeia after 100 hours of observation using a special oxygen filter, according to NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 21, 2026. The image, credited to Louis Leroux-Géré, Thibault Rouillée, Vincent Martin and Cédric de Decker of Starfront Observatories, also shows the better-known IC 59 and IC 63, described as the original "Ghosts of Cassiopeia."

According to the accompanying explanation, energetic light from the multi-star system Gamma Cassiopeiae makes hydrogen gas in IC 59 and IC 63 glow red, while their dust reflects and scatters bluish-white starlight. The newly reported Objects 1, 2 and 3 appear as blue phantoms, indicating ionized oxygen.

The source does not establish what is ionizing that oxygen. It suggests Gamma Cassiopeiae may be piling up material as the system moves through interstellar gas and dust, similar to the bow of a speeding boat, and that Object 3 may be compressed, heated oxygen in such a bow shock. Object 1 could be a planetary nebula if a central white dwarf is identified. The explanation states that the origins of the objects remain a mystery.