Planetary nebula
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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 | Sagitta |
| Distance | 2,000 pc (6.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.9 ly |
| Central star | var.;G8-K0 Ia |
| Expansion speed | 34 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G060.3-07.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 11m 55.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 20′ 06″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° 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 6,523 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 116 million years.