Planetary nebula
A 72
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 | Delphinus |
| Distance | 1,010 pc (3.3 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 2.0 ly |
| Central star | V 16.1 · IUE obsns |
| PN G name | PN G059.7-18.7 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 50m 02.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 33′ 28″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 1269 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 58 million years.