Planetary nebula
K 1-16
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 | Draco |
| Distance | 380 pc (1.2 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.7 ly |
| Central star | V 15.1 · Hg O(C) |
| Expansion speed | 23 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G094.0+27.4 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 21m 50.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +64° 22′ 05″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 26° S. North of latitude 26° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 787. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 22 million years.