Planetary nebula
IC 4846
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 | Aquila |
| Distance | 4,840 pc (15.8 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.2 ly |
| Central star | V 15.2 · Of |
| Expansion speed | 13 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G027.6-09.6 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 16m 28.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −9° 02′ 37″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 81° N. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 16 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 280 million years.