Planetary nebula
IC 2149
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.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Auriga |
| Distance | 700 pc (2.3 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.1 ly |
| Central star | V 11.6 · O4 (f) |
| Expansion speed | 10 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G166.1+10.4 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 56m 24.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 06′ 17″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 258 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 41 million years.