NGC 3132

NGC 3132
Nebula
Observation data: J2000.0 epoch
Right ascension 10h 07m 01.7640s[1]
Declination −40° 26 11.060[1]
Distance 2,000 ly[2] ly
Apparent magnitude (V) 9.87[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 62 × 43[3]
Constellation Vela
Physical characteristics
Radius 0.4 ly[2] ly
Designations Eight-Burst Nebula,[2] Southern Ring Nebula,[2] Caldwell 74

NGC 3132, also known as the Eight-Burst Nebula,[2] the Southern Ring Nebula,[2] is a bright and extensively studied planetary nebula in the constellation Vela. Its distance from Earth is estimated at about 550 pc. or 2,000 light-years.[2]

Planetary nebula nucleus (PNN)

Images of NGC 3132 reveal two stars close together within the nebulosity, one of 10th magnitude, the other 16th. The central planetary nebula nucleus (PNN) or white dwarf central star is the fainter of these two stars. This hot central star of about 100,000 K has now blown off its layers and is making the nebula fluoresce brightly from the emission of its intense ultraviolet radiation.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for NGC 3132. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Fast Facts – Planetary Nebula NGC 3132". Hubble Heritage Project. Space Telescope Science Institute. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. "Results for NGC 3132". NGC/IC Project Database. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to NGC 3132.

Coordinates: 10h 07m 01.76s, −40° 26′ 11″

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.