Planetary nebula
He 2-175
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 | 6,740 pc (22.0 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.7 ly |
| PN G name | PN G345.6+06.7 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 39m 28.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −36° 34′ 22″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 53° N. South of latitude 53° 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 22 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 390 million years.