Planetary nebula
K 3- 5
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 | Serpens |
| Distance | 8,050 pc (26.3 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.2 ly |
| Expansion speed | 23 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G034.3+06.2 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 31m 45.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +4° 05′ 12″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. 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 26 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 466 million years.