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NGC 2006

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NGC 2006

NGC 2006 is an emission nebula located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is a bright H II region excited by the open cluster NGC 2004, located about 1 arcminute to the north.

Discovery

NGC 2006 was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop in 1826 and is part of his catalogue of nebulae and star clusters observed in the Southern Hemisphere and published in 1828.

Characteristics

NGC 2006 is approximately 150 light years in diameter and located about 163,000 light years away from Earth. It is composed primarily of ionized hydrogen gas that is fluorescing under the intense ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars in the nearby NGC 2004 star cluster. These hot stars have blown away much of the surrounding gas and dust in which they were born, exposing the emission nebula.

The bright rim of ionized gas surrounding NGC 2006 is shaped like a horseshoe, with denser clouds of neutral hydrogen and dust obscuring parts of the nebula. The emission is dominated by light from excited hydrogen atoms, giving NGC 2006 its characteristic red glow. Other emission lines from ionized oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur are also present but fainter.

Visibility

Due to its location in the Large Magellanic Cloud in the southern constellation of Dorado, NGC 2006 is only visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen during the months of April and May. NGC 2006 can be spotted with modest amateur telescopes under dark skies, appearing as a faint red cloud. Larger amateur and professional instruments are needed to discern its detailed horseshoe structure.

References

Dunlop, James (1826) "On the Nebulae and Star-clusters observed in the Southern Hemisphere, and the advantages of the Southern Hemisphere for the investigation of the Sidereal System". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 116: 105-126.
Hubble, Edwin (1926) "NGC 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007". Contributions from the Mount Wilson Observatory / Carnegie Institution of Washington 374: 1-4.
Walborn, Nolan R.; Blades, John C. (1997). "H II Regions and Young Associations in the Magellanic Clouds". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 112: 1-38.