Nebula
Sh2-277
H II region
A cloud of ionised hydrogen (H II region): a stellar nursery glowing in the ultraviolet light of the young, hot O and B stars inside it. The distance follows from the gas’s radial velocity and the Galaxy’s rotation curve (kinematic method).
| Type | Nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | 588 pc (1.9 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 18.9 ly |
| WISE name | G206.466-16.349 |
| Catalogue status | Known H II region |
| Source | WISE H II Catalog v3.0 |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 41m 37.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −1° 50′ 39″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 108. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 34 million years.