Planetary nebula
IC 972
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 | Virgo |
| Distance | 2,670 pc (8.7 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.8 ly |
| Expansion speed | 16 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G326.7+42.2 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 04m 26.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 13′ 34″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 8,708 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 154 million years.