NGC 246
Appearance
Emission nebula | |
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Planetary nebula | |
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Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
Right ascension | 00h 47m 03.338s[1] |
Declination | −11° 52′ 18.94″[1] |
Distance | 1,600 light-years ly |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 8[2] / 11.8 (central star)[1] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 3.8′[2] |
Constellation | Cetus |
Physical characteristics | |
Radius | 2-3 light-years[3] ly |
Designations | Skull Nebula,[4] Pac-Man Nebula,[5] Caldwell 56, HIP 3678, PMN J0047-1152, 2E 178, PN VV 4, IRAS 00445-1207[1] |
NGC 246 (also known as the Skull Nebula[4] or Caldwell 56) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cetus. The nebula and the stars associated with it are listed in several catalogs, as summarized by the SIMBAD database.[1] It is roughly 1,600 light-years away.[6] The nebula's central star is the 12th magnitude[6] white dwarf HIP 3678.
Among some amateur astronomers, NGC 246 is known as the "Pac-Man Nebula" because of the arrangement of its central stars and the surrounding star field.[5]
Image gallery
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HaRGB image of The Skull Nebula (NGC 246). Data from the Liverpool Telescope, processed by Göran Nilsson. Total exposure time 1.1 hours.
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NGC 246 acquired using the Schulman 0.8m Telescope atop Mount Lemmon, AZ. This is a full color (visual) image.
References
- ^ a b c d e "NGC 246". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
- ^ a b "SEDS NGC Catalog Online". Results for NGC 246. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
- ^ "NGC 246". Astronomy: Stars & Planets. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ a b "The Night Sky", Astronomy Now, Oct 2008.
- ^ a b David H. Levy, Deep Sky Objects, Prometheus Books, 2005, ISBN 1-59102-361-0, p 129.
- ^ a b Stephen James O'Meara, The Caldwell Objects, Sky Publishing Corporation, ISBN 0-933346-97-2, p 223.
External links
Media related to NGC 246 at Wikimedia Commons
- NGC 246 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images