Red Rectangle Nebula
Also known as HD 44179
Red Rectangle Nebula is a post-agb star in the constellation Monoceros, about 1,440 light-years from Earth.
Bipolar nebula around a dying star in Monoceros, shaped like an X
Facts
| Type | Post-agb star (spectral type B9Ib/II) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Monoceros |
| Position (J2000) | 6h 19m 58s, −10° 38′ |
| Distance | 1,440 light-years (its light set off about 1,440 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 9.02 (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 | 802 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Red Rectangle Nebula is highest in the sky at midnight in December. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 59° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 29°. To see it you need a small telescope.
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 Monoceros
- Christmas Tree Cluster
- Cone Nebula
- Hubble's Variable Nebula
- M50 (NGC 2323)
- Red Rectangle
- Rosette B (NGC 2246)
- Rosette Nebula
- Seagull Nebula
Everything in Monoceros · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · Data sources & credits