Andromeda
Log inJoin

Star-forming nebula (H II region)

S50

Also WISE G016.856-01.156

Open in Ouranos

Hydrogen glowing round newborn massive stars — these trace the spiral arms.

Measured

Distance
about 7,175 light-years

How far, from the Sun

About 7,180 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light7,180 years
  • Voyager 1's speed128 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h77.4 billion years

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

Facts

  • distance estimated from how fast its gas moves (a kinematic distance, uncertain by about a thousand light years)
  • About 50 light-years across in infrared.

Where this comes from

  • H II regions: Anderson et al. 2014, ApJS 212, 1 (the WISE Catalog of Galactic H II Regions), via the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg (DOI 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.