Planetary nebula
K 3-68
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 | Auriga |
| Distance | 5,950 pc (19.4 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.9 ly |
| PN G name | PN G178.3-02.5 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 31m 35.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 58′ 41″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 19 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 344 million years.