Fried Egg Nebula
Also known as IRAS 17163-3907
Fried Egg Nebula is a post-agb star in the constellation Scorpius, about 25,840 light-years from Earth.
Shells of dust thrown off by a yellow hypergiant star in Scorpius
Facts
| Type | Post-agb star (spectral type O-rich) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Position (J2000) | 17h 19m 49s, −39° 10′ |
| Distance | 25,840 light-years (its light set off about 25,840 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 13.1 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Filter | UHC (narrowband) filter (Glowing gas shines in a few colours of hydrogen and oxygen: a UHC filter passes those and blocks most light pollution and sky glow.) |
| Studied in | 58 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Fried Egg Nebula is highest in the sky at midnight in June. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 31° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 1°. 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.
More in Scorpius
- Butterfly Cluster (M6)
- Butterfly Nebula
- Cat's Paw Nebula
- M4 (NGC 6121)
- M80 (NGC 6093)
- Prawn Nebula
- Ptolemy Cluster (M7)
- War and Peace Nebula
Everything in Scorpius · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · Data sources & credits