Planetary nebula
He 2- 78
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 | Crux |
| Distance | 6,330 pc (20.6 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| PN G name | PN G297.4+03.7 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 09m 10.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −58° 42′ 36″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 31° N. South of latitude 31° 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 21 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 366 million years.