🌟 A Bright and Accessible Planetary Nebula
Unlike many faint, ghostly planetaries, NGC 1535 has enough brightness to stand out even in smaller telescopes. Its compact disk can be spotted in modest suburban conditions, making it a rewarding winter target for observers of all experience levels.

🌟 A Striking “Eye in the Sky”
The nebula’s popular nickname, Cleopatra’s Eye, comes from its resemblance to a staring eye with a bright inner ring and faint outer halo. This unusual eye-like appearance makes it one of the more visually striking planetary nebulae, especially under steady skies at higher magnification.

🌟 A Touch of Color
NGC 1535 often displays a soft blue-green tint, caused by ionized oxygen emissions. That touch of color makes it especially memorable, since only a handful of nebulae reveal hues distinctly enough for stargazers to notice without photography.

🌟 A Showcase of Detail at Higher Power
At low magnification, NGC 1535 resembles a slightly fuzzy star, but pushing the magnification brings out its compact disk and sometimes a brighter inner ring. Observers with medium to large telescopes may even glimpse hints of its deeper structure.

🌟 A Winter Treat in Eridanus
Located in the constellation Eridanus, NGC 1535 offers variety in a constellation best known for long chains of stars. Adding it to your observing list enriches your winter sessions by breaking up star-hopping tours with a compact but dramatic planetary nebula.

🌟 A Lesser-Known Gem
While objects like the Ring and Dumbbell Nebulae attract the most attention, NGC 1535 is often overlooked. Including it on your list ensures you’ll experience a planetary nebula that many stargazers miss, giving you a chance to enjoy something that feels a little more personal and rare.

Finding NGC 1535, Cleopatra's Eye, can be challenging because it is small, dim and requires lots of hops in the rather dim constellation of Eridanus. It is easiest to find under dark skies using a medium or larger telescope. However, 'mapping' things out first with binoculars can be a great assist.

Start by finding the constellation Orion and its brightest star Rigel (+0.28). Then map out the constellation Eridanus beginning with Cursa (+2.78), close to Rigel, and working your way to Beid (+4.03) and then Zaurak (+2.96), also known as Gamma Eridani.

With a telescope finder, point to Zaurak. Using a finder or low-powered eyepiece, hop 1° to HR 1235 (+5.59), then 1.25° to HR 1265 (+5.61 ) and then 2.25° past a line of stars and then a triangle of stars to NGC 1535. Once you reach the target, switch to higher magnification and the tiny stellar blur should begin to swell into a distinct, compact nebular disk—the “eye” staring back at you. Try an OIII or UHC filter. With patience, especially under dark skies, the bluish tint and faint halo reveal themselves, confirming you’ve found Cleopatra’s Eye.

✅ Start with Low Power, Then Increase Magnification
Under low power, NGC 1535 looks much like a slightly fuzzy star. Use low power to locate it in the field, then increase magnification as possible. Around 150× and higher in larger telescopes, the nebula begins to show its disk-like form, and at times a brighter inner region stands out, giving it its “eye-like” appearance.

✅ Look for Subtle Color
This nebula is one of the few that may reveal a gentle blue-green tint in small and medium telescopes. To improve your chances of detecting color, observe it when it’s high in the sky, under steady conditions, and allow your eyes to adapt fully to the dark.

✅ Try an OIII or UHC Filter
Filters can help enhance the contrast of NGC 1535 against the background sky, especially under suburban conditions. However, because it is relatively compact and bright, experiment with and without to see which view you prefer.

✅ Watch for the Halo
NGC 1535 has a faint outer shell that can be glimpsed with patience. Larger telescopes, dark skies, and moderate magnification help bring this halo into view. Switching between direct and averted vision may also help tease out its delicate structure.

✅ Revisit with Different Apertures
Small telescopes will show NGC 1535 as a tiny glowing disk, while medium and large apertures reveal increasing levels of detail, from color hints to its bright inner “pupil” and fainter outer halo. Observing it with different telescopes makes it a fun object to compare views.

✅ Include it in a Planetary Nebula Tour
NGC 1535 makes an excellent companion to other planetary nebulae in the winter sky, such as the Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) and the Owl Nebula (M97). Including it in a planetary nebula tour highlights the diversity of forms and colors these stellar remnants display.

❌ Naked Eye
To the naked eye, NGC 1535 is completely invisible. Even under the darkest skies, it has no chance of being glimpsed without optical aid, as its light is too faint and compact to stand out from the surrounding stars.

❌ Binoculars
With binoculars, the nebula cannot be seen directly, though binoculars are useful for star-hopping to the right part of Eridanus. Even large binoculars show only the field stars, with no suggestion of the nebula itself.

⚠️ Small Telescope
In a small telescope of about 3–4 inches, NGC 1535 first appears as a tiny, slightly fuzzy star. At low power it blends with the surrounding star field, but with higher magnification it reveals a subtle disk and sometimes a hint of a blue-green tint. It looks small, but distinctly non-stellar.

✅ Medium Telescope
Through a medium telescope in the 6–10 inch range, the nebula becomes more impressive. The disk is obvious, and under steady seeing the inner bright core can be glimpsed. A pale bluish color is often easier to detect, and with patience the faint outer halo begins to make its presence known.

✅ Large Telescope
In a large telescope of 12 inches or more, NGC 1535 lives up to its name as Cleopatra’s Eye. The bright inner “pupil” stands out, surrounded by a softer, ghostly halo. Subtle structure and contrast within the nebula make it a captivating sight, and its delicate color adds to the impression of looking into a cosmic eye staring back from the depths of space.

🟣 Bortle 1–2 (Pristine Dark Skies). Under the darkest skies, NGC 1535 is striking. Its compact disk glows brightly, and the subtle blue-green hue is more apparent. At higher magnifications, the brighter central region and the faint surrounding halo stand out clearly, making the “eye” appearance memorable.

Bortle 🔵3–🟢4 (Rural/Suburban Transition). In these skies, NGC 1535 remains a strong target. The disk is easy to pick out, and the color tint may still be seen, especially in medium telescopes. The faint halo requires averted vision and patience, but filters can enhance the contrast and help bring it forward.

Bortle 🟡5–🟠6 (Suburban Skies). The nebula becomes less striking, but still visible as a small glowing disk. The halo is difficult to detect, and color is subtle or absent in smaller apertures. With medium scopes and an OIII or UHC filter, however, the disk remains well-defined, and the bright inner region holds up well against light pollution.

🔴 Bortle 7+ (Urban/City Skies). In bright city skies, NGC 1535 shrinks to a faint, star-like blur. The disk can be separated from the surrounding stars with higher magnification, but almost all of its nuance is lost. Filters may help keep it visible, but the outer halo and any hint of color are generally beyond reach in these conditions.