Little Ghost Nebula
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| Little Ghost nebula | |
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| Observation data (Epoch J2000) |
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|---|---|
| Right ascension | 17h 29m 20.443s[1] |
| Declination | -23° 45′ 34.22″[1] |
| Distance | 2.0 ± 5.0 kly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.9[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 38 ′ |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Other designations | NGC 6369,[1] PK 002+05 1[1] |
| See also: Planetary nebula, Lists of nebulae | |
The Little Ghost Nebula, NGC 6369, is a planetary nebula that was discovered by 18th-century astronomer William Herschel as he used a telescope to explore the constellation Ophiuchus.
Round and planet-shaped, the nebula is also relatively faint and has acquired the popular moniker of Little Ghost Nebula. Planetary nebulae in general are not at all related to planets, but instead are created at the end of a sun-like star's life as its outer layers expand into space while the star's core shrinks to become a white dwarf. The transformed white dwarf star, near the center, radiates strongly at ultraviolet wavelengths and powers the expanding nebula's glow.
The nebula's main ring structure is about a light-year across and the glow from ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms are colored blue, green, and red respectively. Over 2,000 light-years away, the Little Ghost Nebula offers a glimpse of the fate of our Sun, which should produce its own planetary nebula only about 5 billion years from now.
