Planetary nebula
M 2-31
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 | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 2,300 pc (7.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.2 ly |
| Central star | WC |
| PN G name | PN G006.0-03.6 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 13m 16.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −25° 30′ 05″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 64° N. South of latitude 64° 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 7,502 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 133 million years.