Planetary nebula
He 2- 15
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 | Vela |
| Distance | 1,800 pc (5.9 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.7 ly |
| Central star | V 17.8 |
| PN G name | PN G261.6+03.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 53m 30.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −40° 03′ 35″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 50° N. South of latitude 50° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 5,871 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 104 million years.