Blue Flash Nebula (NGC 6905)
Also known as Blue Flash Nebula · NGC 6905
Blue Flash Nebula (NGC 6905) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Delphinus, about 5,810 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Planetary nebula (spectral type [WC3]) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Delphinus |
| Position (J2000) | 20h 22m 22s, +20° 06′ |
| Distance | 5,810 light-years (its light set off about 5,810 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 14.5 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 0.5′ × 0.5′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | OIII filter (Planetary nebulae and supernova remnants shine mostly in the green light of doubly ionised oxygen: an OIII filter passes it and darkens the sky around it.) |
| Studied in | 363 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Blue Flash Nebula (NGC 6905) is highest in the sky at midnight in July. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 90° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 60°. To see it you need a large telescope or long-exposure photos.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits