Planetary nebula
Th 2-A
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. The distance is a statistical estimate, uncertain by 30–50 %.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 2,200 pc (7.2 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 0.8 ly |
| Central star | V 14.5 |
| Expansion speed | 18 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G306.4-00.6 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 22m 34.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −63° 20′ 56″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 27° N. South of latitude 27° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 7,176 years ago. At that time the first farming villages were being founded; there was no writing yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 127 million years.