Planetary nebula
Mz 3
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.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Norma |
| Distance | 4,500 pc (14.7 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 1.8 ly |
| Central star | O9.5-BO |
| PN G name | PN G331.7-01.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 17m 13.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −51° 59′ 06″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 38° N. South of latitude 38° 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 15 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 260 million years.