Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Delphinus (Del)  ·  Contains:  PK059-18.1
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Abell 72, Gary Imm
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Abell 72

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Abell 72, Gary Imm
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Abell 72

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Description

This PN, also known as PK 059+18.1, is a planetary nebula located 3700 light years away in the constellation of Delphinus at a declination of +14 degrees. This nebula spans 3 arc-minutes in our apparent view, which corresponds to a diameter of 3 light years.

Very little has been written about this interesting object. I am fascinated by its filamentary structure, which is a very unusual structure for a planetary nebula. Numerous arcing OIII filaments wind throughout the nebula. The signal is predominantly OIII, with very little Ha. The nebula is oblong, indicating a likely bi-polar PN. The bluish central star is clearly visible. Many small foreground stars are superimposed over the nebula, adding to its dramatic look.

Just below the nebula is the faint white barred spiral galaxy MCG +02-53-005. This galaxy is 200 million light years away, about 50,000 times further away than the nebula. The galaxy diameter is 50,000 light years.

On the right side of the image is the faint galaxy 2MASX J20493655+1335042.

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