Planetary nebula
IC 351
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 | Perseus |
| Distance | 3,160 pc (10.3 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| Central star | V 15.8 · WR-Of |
| Expansion speed | 15 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G159.0-15.1 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 47m 32.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 02′ 49″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 10 thousand 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 183 million years.