Planetary nebula
He 2-161
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 | Norma |
| Distance | 2,880 pc (9.4 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.5 ly |
| PN G name | PN G331.5-02.7 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 24m 37.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −53° 22′ 34″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 37° N. South of latitude 37° 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 9,393 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 167 million years.