Planetary nebula
M 4- 2
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 | Puppis |
| Distance | 5,230 pc (17.1 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.5 ly |
| PN G name | PN G248.8-08.5 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 28m 55.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −35° 45′ 15″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 54° N. South of latitude 54° S it never sets. 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.