Planetary nebula
NGC 2371-72
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 | Gemini |
| Distance | 500 pc (1.6 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| Central star | V 14.9 · O VI |
| Expansion speed | 43 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G189.1+19.8 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 25m 35.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 29′ 36″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° N 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 around the year 395. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 29 million years.