NGC 7008 · planetary nebula

Fetus Nebula

NGC 7008, also known as the Fetus Nebula, is a planetary nebula with a diameter of approximately 1 light-year located at a distance of 2800 light years in northern Cygnus.

RA21h 00m 32sDec+54° 32' 35"

Image: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Donn and Aaron Starkey/Adam Block. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: NGC 7008
All designations: NGC 7008 · Fetus Nebula
Object type: Planetary Nebula
Constellation: Cygnus
Best viewing: Summer · Autumn

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 21h 00m 32s
Declination (J2000): +54° 32' 35"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

The science

NGC 7008, also known as the Fetus Nebula, is a planetary nebula with a diameter of approximately 1 light-year located at a distance of 2800 light years in northern Cygnus. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787, in Slough, England. NGC 7008 is included in the Astronomical League's Herschel 400 observing program. NGC 7008 is that its intricate and delicate structures make it a fascinating target for both amateur and professional astronomers studying the late stages of stellar evolution and the formation of planetary nebulae.

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