Planetary nebula
He 2-104
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 | Centaurus |
| Distance | 7,920 pc (25.8 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.6 ly |
| Central star | Symbiot.? |
| PN G name | PN G315.4+09.4 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 11m 52.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −51° 26′ 24″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 39° N. South of latitude 39° S 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 26 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 458 million years.