Planetary nebula in Draco
In the northern hemishpere, this bright planetary nebula floats high overhead on mid-summer evenings. Through a telescope at medium power, the view is very much like the lower image to the left: the nebula is bright but not large, and it has a distinct blue-green color. If you look closely, it is not hard to see the central star from which this nebula has formed. Through a large telescope at high magnification, some of the internal structure of the nebula can be seen.
The enlarged image to the left shows a lot of interesting detail in the Cat's Eye, including some faint wisps of a halo surrounding the bright oval. The nebula is estimated to be about 0.3 light years in diameter.
| Magnitude | 8.1 |
| Apparent Size | 23" x 17" |
| Distance (light yrs) | 3,100 |
| Right Ascension | 17:58.6 |
| Declination | +68 33 |
Image details: 25 images, each 10 seconds at ISO 1600 with a Canon 400D camera through a Meade 12” telescope at f/10.
July 2009
