C15 · planetary nebula

Blinking Planetary Nebula

NGC 6826 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Cygnus.

RA19h 44m 48sDec+50° 31' 30"

Image: Bruce Balick (University of Washington), Jason Alexander (University of Washington), Arsen Hajian (U.S. Naval Observatory), Yervant Terzian (Cornell University), Mario Perinotto (University of Florence, Italy), Patrizio Patriarchi (Arcetri Observatory, Italy) and NASA. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: C15
All designations: C15 · NGC 6826 · Blinking Planetary
Object type: Planetary Nebula
Constellation: Cygnus
Best viewing: Summer · Autumn

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 19h 44m 48s
Declination (J2000): +50° 31' 30"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

The science

NGC 6826 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. It is commonly referred to as the "Blinking Planetary", although many other nebulae exhibit such "blinking". When viewed through a small telescope, the brightness of the central star overwhelms the eye when viewed directly, obscuring the surrounding nebula. However, it can be viewed well using averted vision, which causes it to "blink" in and out of view as the observer's eye wanders.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0