| Eskimo Nebula | |
|---|---|
 NGC 2392, the Eskimo Nebula by HST. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI |
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| Observation data (Epoch J2000) |
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| Right ascension | 07h 29m 10.7669s[1] |
| Declination | +20° 54′ 42.488″[1] |
| Distance | ≥2,870 ly (≥880 pc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.1[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 48″ × 48″[3] |
| Constellation | Gemini |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | ≥0.34 ly[a] |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | ≤0.4 [b] |
| Notable features | – |
| Other designations | NGC 2392,[1] C39, Clown Nebula,[1] Clown Face[1] |
| See also: Planetary nebula, Lists of nebulae | |
The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392), also known as the Clownface Nebula,[4] is a bipolar[2] double-shell[5] planetary nebula (PN). It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1787. The formation resembles a person's head surrounded by a parka hood. It is surrounded by gas that composed the outer layers of a Sun-like star. The visible inner filaments are ejected by strong wind of particles from the central star. The outer disk contains unusual light-year long orange filaments.
NGC 2392 lies more than 2,870 light-years away and is visible with a small telescope in the constellation of Gemini.
Contents |
Historic data
The nebula was discovered by William Herschel on January 17, 1787, in Slough, England. He described it as "A star 9th magnitude with a pretty bright middle, nebulosity equally dispersed all around. A very remarkable phenomenon."[6] NGC 2392 WH IV-45 is included in the Astronomical League's Herschel 400 observing program.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for Eskimo Nebula. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
- ^ a b O'dell, C. R.; Balick, B.; Hajian, A. R.; Henney, W. J.; Burkert, A. (2003). "Knots in Planetary Nebulae". Winds, Bubbles, and Explosions: a conference to honor John Dyson, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México, September 9-13, 2002 (Eds. S. J. Arthur & W. J. Henney) Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica (Serie de Conferencias) (http://www.astroscu.unam.mx/~rmaa/) 15: 29–33. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2003RMxAC..15...29O.
- ^ O'Dell, C. R.; Balick, B.; Hajian, A. R.; Henney, W. J.; Burkert, A. (2002). "Knots in Nearby Planetary Nebulae". The Astronomical Journal 123 (6): 3329–3347. doi:. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2002AJ....123.3329O.
- ^ Windows to the Universe
- ^ Guerrero, M. A.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.; Meixner, M. (2005). "XMM-Newton detection of hot gas in the Eskimo Nebula: Shocked stellar wind or collimated outflows?". Astronomy and Astrophysics 430: L69–L72. doi:. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2005A%26A...430L..69G.
- ^ The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel by J. L. E. Dreyer, Royal Society, London 1912
External links
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