Planetary nebula
A 5
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 | Perseus |
| Distance | 1,460 pc (4.8 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 2.9 ly |
| Central star | V 21.4 |
| PN G name | PN G141.7-07.8 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 52m 13.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 35′ 52″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 4,762 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 84 million years.