Planetary nebula
M 4- 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 | Serpens |
| Distance | 1,510 pc (4.9 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.1 ly |
| PN G name | PN G024.2+05.9 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 14m 18.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −4° 59′ 21″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 85° N. 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 4,925 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 87 million years.