Blue Planetary (NGC 3918)
Also known as Blue Planetary · NGC 3918
Blue Planetary (NGC 3918) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Centaurus, about 5,350 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Position (J2000) | 11h 50m 17s, −57° 10′ |
| Distance | 5,350 light-years (its light set off about 5,350 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 8.5 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 0.3′ × 0.3′ (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 | 392 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Blue Planetary (NGC 3918) is highest in the sky at midnight in March. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 13° above the horizon; from 50° N it never rises. To see it you need binoculars.
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.
More in Centaurus
- Betta Fish Nebula
- Boomerang Nebula
- Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
- Mermaid Nebula
- Omega Centauri
- Running Chicken Nebula
- SN 1006
- Thackeray's Globules
Everything in Centaurus · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits