Planetary nebula
NGC 246
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 | Cetus |
| Distance | 470 pc (1.5 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 1.8 ly |
| Central star | V 12.0 · WC OVI |
| Expansion speed | 39 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G118.8-74.7 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 47m 03.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −11° 52′ 22″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 78° N. South of latitude 78° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 493. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 27 million years.