Planetary nebula
A 68
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 | Vulpecula |
| Distance | 2,820 pc (9.2 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.7 ly |
| Central star | V 13.3 |
| PN G name | PN G060.0-04.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 00m 10.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 42′ 58″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 9,198 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 163 million years.