Planetary nebula
M 1-51
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 | Scutum |
| Distance | 1,980 pc (6.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| Central star | WC |
| PN G name | PN G020.9-01.1 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 33m 28.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −11° 07′ 22″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 79° N. South of latitude 79° S 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 6,458 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 115 million years.