Planetary nebula
NGC 6439
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 | Sagittarius |
| Distance | 1,000 pc (3.3 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.1 ly |
| Expansion speed | 24 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G011.0+05.8 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 48m 19.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 28′ 44″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 74° N. South of latitude 74° 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 1237 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 58 million years.