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Emission nebula

The Pacman Nebula

Also NGC 281 · Sh 2-184

Open in Ouranos

A star-forming nebula in Cassiopeia, nicknamed Pacman for its overall shape.

Measured

Distance
8,828 light-years
Constellation
Cassiopeia
Position (J2000)
RA 0h 52m 25s, Dec +56.56°

How far, from the Sun

8,830 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light8,830 years
  • Voyager 1's speed157 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h95.3 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 young cluster is IC 1590.
  • Gaia picks out about 189 member stars (Hunt & Reffert 2023).

Where this comes from

  • Hunt & Reffert 2023, A&A 673, A114: Gaia DR3 cluster distance 2706.7 pc (16th–84th percentile 2690.3–2723.2 pc) for its cluster IC 1590
  • 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.