Planetary nebula
M 1- 8
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 | Monoceros |
| Distance | 2,370 pc (7.7 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.7 ly |
| Central star | V 21.4 |
| Expansion speed | 11 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G210.3+01.9 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 6h 53m 33.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 08′ 24″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 7,730 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 137 million years.