Planetary nebula
He 2-120
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.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Circinus |
| Distance | 1,200 pc (3.9 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.5 ly |
| Central star | V 21.2 |
| Expansion speed | 7 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G321.8+01.9 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 11m 56.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 39′ 51″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 34° N. South of latitude 34° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 1889 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 69 million years.