File:NGC_40_Ps1.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Q43933
Sign in to saveAlso known as Bow-Tie Nebula, C 2, New General Catalogue 40, Bowtie Nebula
planetary nebula in the constellation Cepheus
Key facts
- Right ascension
- 00 13 01.017
- Declination
- +72 ° 31 ′ 19.03 ″
- Distance
- 1,619 pc
- Apparent dimensions v
- 38″ × 35″
- Constellation
- Cepheus
- Designations
- Bow-Tie Nebula, Caldwell 2, PN G120.0+09.8
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Distance from Earth
- 1.07
- Image
- NGC40 - Noao-ngc40w.jpg
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- NGC 40
- catalog code
- TIC 373390862
- time of discovery or invention
- 1788-11-25
- spectral class
- [WC8]
- apparent magnitude
- 11.456248
- radial velocity
- -20.50
- parallax
- 0.5612
- right ascension component of proper motion
- -7.26
- declination component of proper motion
- -1.848
- right ascension
- 3.25423754052
- declination
- 72.5219537052
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
NGC 40, also known as the Bow-Tie Nebula or Caldwell 2, is a planetary nebula located around 5280 light years (1619 parsecs) from Earth in the Constellation of Cepheus. The nebula is about one light-year across. It was discovered by William Herschel on November 25, 1788.
The nebula formed due to a dying star ejecting its outer layers of gas leaving behind a small, hot stellar remnant known as a white dwarf. Radiation from the star causes the shed outer layer to heat to about 10,000 degrees Celsius and become visible as a planetary nebula. About 30,000 years from now, scientists theorize that NGC 40 will fade away, leaving only a white dwarf star approximately the size of Earth.