Planetary nebula
H 4- 1
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 | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 13,100 pc (42.7 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.6 ly |
| Central star | V 19.5 |
| Expansion speed | 11 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G049.3+88.1 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 59m 27.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 38′ 14″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° N 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 43 thousand years ago. At that time Homo sapiens was spreading out of Africa; there was no farming yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 758 million years.