Planetary nebula
A 36
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.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 400 pc (1.3 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 2.3 ly |
| Central star | V 11.5 · O(H) |
| Expansion speed | 36 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G318.4+41.4 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 40m 41.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 52′ 57″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 70° N. South of latitude 70° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 721. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 23 million years.