Planetary nebula
Me 2-1
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 | Libra |
| Distance | 3,580 pc (11.7 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| Central star | IUE Sp.,P Cyg |
| Expansion speed | 13 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G342.1+27.5 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 22m 19.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −23° 37′ 31″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 66° N. South of latitude 66° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 12 thousand 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 207 million years.