Planetary nebula
NGC 7662
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 | Andromeda |
| Distance | 640 pc (2.1 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.2 ly |
| Central star | V 13.2 |
| Expansion speed | 28 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G106.5-17.6 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 25m 53.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +42° 32′ 06″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 47° S. North of latitude 47° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 62 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 37 million years.