Planetary nebula
NGC 6563
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 | 600 pc (2.0 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.5 ly |
| Expansion speed | 11 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G358.5-07.3 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 12m 03.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −33° 52′ 00″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 56° N. South of latitude 56° 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 69. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 35 million years.