Planetary nebula
He 2- 55
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 | 2,780 pc (9.1 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.8 ly |
| Central star | V 17.4 · WC 3 |
| PN G name | PN G286.3+02.8 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 48m 43.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −56° 03′ 23″ |
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 March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 9,067 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 161 million years.