Planetary nebula
NGC 6572
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 | Ophiuchus |
| Distance | 570 pc (1.9 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.1 ly |
| Central star | Of/WR(H) |
| Expansion speed | 16 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G034.6+11.8 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 12m 07.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 51′ 25″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° S. 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 167. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 33 million years.