Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Cetus (Cet)  ·  Contains:  NGC 246
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NGC 246 Skull Nebula, rdhand
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NGC 246 Skull Nebula

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NGC 246 Skull Nebula, rdhand
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NGC 246 Skull Nebula

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Description

The Skull Nebula, NGC 246, is located roughly 1,600 light-years away and is about 2.5 light-years in diameter. Some feel it bears a striking resemblance to a skull floating through space.  The nebula is the remnant of a stellar explosion, during which a star too small to go supernova  expelled its outer layers, leaving behind a glowing white dwarf star.  The star itself, the fainter member of a binary star system seen at the center of the nebula, is entering its final phase of becoming a white dwarf star.

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NGC 246 Skull Nebula, rdhand

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Cloudy Nights

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Planetary Nebula