Planetary nebula
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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 | Monoceros |
| Distance | 1,520 pc (5.0 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.8 ly |
| Central star | V 20.9 |
| PN G name | PN G216.0-00.2 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 56m 14.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 53′ 08″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 87° N. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 4,958 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 88 million years.