Planetary nebula
A 12
Planetary nebula
A shell of gas thrown off by a dying Sun-like star, glowing in the ultraviolet light of the hot core at its centre. Within a few tens of thousands of years it will disperse and fade from view. The distance is a statistical estimate, uncertain by 30–50 %.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 2,000 pc (6.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.2 ly |
| PN G name | PN G198.6-06.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 02m 22.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 39′ 03″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 6,523 years ago. At that time the first farming villages were being founded; there was no writing yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 116 million years.