Planetary nebula
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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 | Monoceros |
| Distance | 3,200 pc (10.4 thousand ly) · estimated |
| Diameter | 3.1 ly |
| Central star | Hg O(H) |
| PN G name | PN G224.9+01.0 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 7h 17m 26.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 10′ 40″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 80° N. South of latitude 80° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 10 thousand 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 185 million years.