Planetary nebula
M 1- 9
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 | 5,240 pc (17.1 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.0 ly |
| Central star | V 15.6 |
| Expansion speed | 7 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G212.0+04.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 05m 19.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 46′ 59″ |
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 17 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 303 million years.