Planetary nebula
M 3-31
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 | 8,650 pc (28.2 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.0 ly |
| Central star | V 17.4 |
| PN G name | PN G014.2-07.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 44m 01.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −19° 54′ 55″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 70° N. South of latitude 70° 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 28 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 500 million years.