Abell 39

Note that Abell 39 can also refer to ACO 39, the 39th member of the Abell catalogue of around 4,000 galaxy clusters.

Abell 039
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
Credit: [Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona]
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension16h 27m 33.720s[1]
Declination+27° 54′ 33.47″[1]
Distance3800[1] ly
Apparent magnitude (V)Integrated: 13.7;[2][3] Central Star: 15.5 ± 0.2[4]
Apparent dimensions (V)155.1″ × 154.5″[4]
ConstellationHercules
Physical characteristics
Radius1.4 ly
Notable featuresAlmost perfectly spherical[2]
DesignationsPN A66 39,[1] PN ARO 180,[1] PK 047+42 1[1]
See also: Lists of nebulae

Abell 39 (PN A66 39) is a low surface brightness[4] planetary nebula in the constellation of Hercules. It is the 39th entry in George Abell's 1966 Abell Catalog of Planetary Nebulae (and 27th in his 1955 catalog) of 86 old planetary nebulae which either Abell or Albert George Wilson discovered before August 1955 as part of the National Geographic Society - Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.[3][5] It is estimated to be about 3,800 light-years from earth and thus 2,600 light-years above the Galactic plane.[1] It is almost perfectly spherical and also one of the largest known spheres with a radius of about 1.4 light-years.[4][2][1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h SIMBAD (3 September 2023), Results for PN A66 39, SIMBAD, Centre de Données Astronomiques de Strasbourg
  2. ^ a b c Darling, David (2008), "Abell 39", Internet Encyclopedia of Science, archived from the original on 28 November 2017, retrieved 6 September 2008
  3. ^ a b Abell, George O. (April 1966). "Properties of Some Old Planetary Nebulae". Astrophysical Journal. 144: 259. Bibcode:1966ApJ...144..259A. doi:10.1086/148602.
  4. ^ a b c d Jacoby, George. H.; Ferland, Gary. J.; Korista, Kirk T. (10 October 2001). "The Planetary Nebula A39: An Observational Benchmark for Numerical Modeling of Photoionized Plasmas". The Astrophysical Journal. 560 (1): 272–286. Bibcode:2001ApJ...560..272J. doi:10.1086/322489.
  5. ^ Abell, George O. (1955). "Globular Clusters and Planetary Nebulae Discovered on the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 67 (397): 258. Bibcode:1955PASP...67..258A. doi:10.1086/126815.