Planetary nebula
M 2- 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 | Scorpius |
| Distance | 5,600 pc (18.3 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.4 ly |
| PN G name | PN G352.1+05.1 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 05m 31.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 32′ 09″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 57° N. South of latitude 57° 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 18 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 324 million years.