Planetary nebula
NGC 6302
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 | Scorpius |
| Distance | 315 pc (1.0 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.2 ly |
| Expansion speed | 8 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G349.5+01.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 13m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 06′ 06″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 53° N. South of latitude 53° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 999. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 18 million years.