Planetary nebula
A 14
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 | 2,770 pc (9.0 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.4 ly |
| Central star | V 15.2 · F7 V? |
| PN G name | PN G197.8-03.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 11m 08.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 46′ 47″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 78° S. North of latitude 78° N it never sets. 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 9,035 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 160 million years.