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Emission nebula

The Cocoon Nebula

Also IC 5146 · Caldwell 19

Open in Ouranos

A small glowing nebula in Cygnus at the end of a long dark lane of dust.

Measured

Distance
2,444 light-years
Constellation
Cygnus
Position (J2000)
RA 21h 53m 32s, Dec +47.26°

How far, from the Sun

2,440 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light2,440 years
  • Voyager 1's speed43.4 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h26.4 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • The dark lane Barnard 168 trails away from it like a tail.
  • Gaia picks out about 146 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 749.3 pc (16th–84th percentile 747.8–750.9 pc)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.