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Planetary nebula

NGC 246

Also Caldwell 56 · Skull Nebula

Open in OuranosCompare its size

A planetary nebula in Cetus whose central star is one of a triple star system.

Measured

Distance
1,813 light-years
Size
about 1.96 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Cetus
Position (J2000)
RA 0h 47m 03s, Dec −11.87°

How far, from the Sun

1,810 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light1,810 years
  • Voyager 1's speed32.2 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h19.6 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 central star is a very hot PG 1159-type star, between a giant and a white dwarf.
  • Its distance comes from a Gaia parallax: the tiny yearly shift in its position as the Earth circles the Sun.

Where this comes from

  • Gaia DR3 parallax 1.7993 ± 0.0786 mas of the central star, Gaia DR3 2376592910265354368 (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.