Planetary nebula
NGC 3242
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 | Hydra |
| Distance | 280 pc (913.2 ly) |
| Diameter | 0.1 ly |
| Central star | V 12.3 · O(H) |
| Expansion speed | 20 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G261.0+32.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 24m 45.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −18° 38′ 38″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 71° N. South of latitude 71° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1113. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 16 million years.