IC 443 (also known as the
Jellyfish Nebula and
Sharpless 248 (
Sh2-248)) is a galactic
supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation
Gemini. On the plane of the sky, it is located near the star
Eta Geminorum. Its distance is roughly 5,000 light years from Earth. IC 443 may be the remains of a
supernova that occurred 30,000 - 35,000 years ago. The same supernova event likely created the
neutron star CXOU J061705.3+222127, the collapsed remnant of the stellar core. IC 443 is one of the best-studied cases of supernova remnants interacting with surrounding molecular clouds.
IC 443 is an extended source, having an angular diameter of 50 arc minutes (by comparison, the full moon is 30 arc minuntes across). At the estimated distance of 5,000 light-years (1,500
parsec) from Earth, it corresponds to a physical size of roughly 70 light years (20 parsec). (Source Wikipedia)
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