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Eight-burst planetary

NGC 3132

Planetary Nebula Excellent (65/100)
NGC 3132 PlanetaryNebula Vel Visible Level 3 Medium telescope (6-8") - Benefits from OIII filter
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Properties

Magnitude 8.0
Angular Size 0.5′
!! PN , vB, vL, lE *9 M, 4s d

Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 07m 00.0s
Dec -40° 25' 60.0"
Constellation Vel
Catalog NGC 3132

Visibility

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Eyepiece View

200x TFOV: 0.2° Lim. mag: 14.2
N E

Eight-burst planetary · 0.5′ · N up, E left

Filter Response Guide

Central Star

Surface Brightness & Observing Difficulty

Survey Image

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About Eight-burst planetary

Description

The Eight-Burst Nebula (NGC 3132) is a bright planetary nebula in Vela, about 2,000 light-years away. Also called the Southern Ring Nebula, it spans about 1 arcminute and displays a complex, multi-layered shell structure. It was one of the first targets of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Observing Tips

A fine southern planetary nebula, visible in a 4-inch telescope as a bright, slightly elongated disk. An 8-inch scope at 150x+ shows the ring structure. The central star is actually the fainter of a close pair. Best in spring from southern locations.

History

Discovered by John Herschel in the 1830s from South Africa. JWST's 2022 images revealed at least two previously unknown concentric shells and confirmed the binary nature of the central star system.

Fun Facts

JWST's first deep image of NGC 3132 revealed that the nebula was sculpted by at least two stars, with the dimmer companion responsible for most of the mass ejection. The brighter central star is actually a companion that did not create the nebula.