Little Ghost Nebula
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(Redirected from NGC 6369)
| Little Ghost nebula | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Observation data (Epoch J2000) |
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| Right ascension | 17h 29m 20.443s[1] |
| Declination | -23° 45′ 34.22″[1] |
| Distance | 2.0 ± 5.0 kly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.9[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 38 ′ |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Other designations | NGC 6369,[1] PK 002+05 1[1] |
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See also: Planetary nebula, Lists of nebulae |
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Little Ghost Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered by William Herschel.[2]
Round and planet-shaped, the nebula is also relatively faint. Planetary nebulae are not related to planets at all, but instead are created at the end of a sun-like star's life as its outer layers expand into space while the star's core shrinks to become a white dwarf. The transformed white dwarf star, seen near the center, radiates strongly at ultraviolet wavelengths and powers the expanding nebula's glow. The nebula's main ring structure is about a light-year across and the glow from ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms are colored blue, green, and red respectively.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for NGC 6369. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- ^ Nemiroff, Robert; Jerry Bonnell. "NGC 6369: The Little Ghost Nebula". Astronomy Picture of the Day. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
