| Emission nebula | Lists of nebulae |
|---|---|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000.0) |
|
| Type | HII region |
| Right ascension | 19h 10m 17s |
| Declination | +09° 06′ 00″ |
| Distance | |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | |
| Constellation | Aquila |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | |
| Notable features | |
| Other designations | |
| edit | |
Westerhout 49 or W49, is a strong galactic thermal radio source characteristic of an HII region. It was discovered by Gart Westerhout in 1958. Its distance is estimated to be about 14-15 kpcs and it lies in the galactic plane about the same distance from the galactic centre as does the Sun. It has been compared to the giant HII region NGC 3603 which is about half as distant. Non-thermal radiation has been found which is believed to be from an old supernova remnant. Gaseous molecular outflows have been detected as well as H2O (water) masers . No optical counterpart has yet been discovered. While this is partly due to interstellar absorption, any tight clustering of stars at such a great distance in the galactic plane would be scarcely distinguishable from the general background.