Planetary nebula
The Ghost of Jupiter
Also NGC 3242 · Caldwell 59
A planetary nebula about the apparent size of Jupiter, in Hydra.
Measured
- Distance
- about 4,377 light-years (published estimates 4,101–4,693)
- Constellation
- Hydra
- Position (J2000)
- RA 10h 24m 46s, Dec −18.64°
How far, from the Sun
About 4,380 light-years. To cross it:
- Light4,380 years
- Voyager 1's speed77.8 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h47.2 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- Its distance comes from a Gaia parallax: the tiny yearly shift in its position as the Earth circles the Sun.
How it was found
- William Herschel discovered it in 1785.
Where this comes from
- Gaia DR3 parallax 0.7452 ± 0.0502 mas of the central star, Gaia DR3 5668874905325843456 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)
- 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.