Planetary nebula
CRL 618
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 | Auriga |
| Distance | 3,410 pc (11.1 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.6 ly |
| Central star | V 17.0 · BO - O9.5 ? |
| PN G name | PN G166.4-06.5 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 42m 53.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 06′ 53″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 11 thousand 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 197 million years.