C56
NGC 246
Dados do Objeto
- Designação do Catálogo
- C56
- Tipo
- PlanetaryNebula
- Constelação
- Cetus
- Magnitude
- 10.9
- Ascensão Reta
- 00h 47m 44.9s
- Declinação
- -11° 52' 44.4"
- Distância
- 1,600 anos-luz
- Tamanho Angular
- 4
Imagem de Levantamento
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Sobre C56
Descrição
NGC 246 is a planetary nebula in Cetus, about 1,600 light-years away. Known as the Skull Nebula, it has a large, ghostly shell about 4 arcminutes across with a distinctly mottled, uneven surface that gives it a skull-like appearance.
Dicas de Observação
A large but faint planetary nebula. An 8-inch telescope with an OIII filter shows the round, uneven glow. The 12th-magnitude central star is a hot white dwarf in a binary system. Best in autumn evenings.
História
Discovered by William Herschel on November 27, 1785. The central star is actually a close binary system, which may influence the nebula's complex internal structure.
Curiosidades
NGC 246 is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth and one of the largest in angular size. Its central star is one of the hottest white dwarfs known, at about 150,000 K.
Fotos da Comunidade (1)
Credit: Unknown. License: Public domain. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026