Planetary nebula
NGC 3587
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 | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 430 pc (1.4 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 1.2 ly |
| Central star | V 16.0 |
| Expansion speed | 29 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G148.4+57.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 14m 46.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 00′ 59″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 35° S. North of latitude 35° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 624. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 25 million years.