Planetary nebula
He 2-155
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 | Scorpius |
| Distance | 2,310 pc (7.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.5 ly |
| Central star | V 16.3 |
| PN G name | PN G338.8+05.6 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 19m 23.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −42° 15′ 36″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 48° N. South of latitude 48° 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 7,534 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 134 million years.