Little Ghost Nebula

Little Ghost Nebula
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension17h 29m 20.457s[1]
Declination−23° 45′ 34.77″[1]
Distance2,000 - 5,000 [2] ly
Apparent magnitude (V)12.00[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)28″[1]
ConstellationOphiuchus[2]
Physical characteristics
Radius0.136-0.34[citation needed] ly
DesignationsNGC 6369, PK 002+05 1[1]
See also: Lists of nebulae
Map showing the location of NGC 6369

Little Ghost Nebula, also known as NGC 6369, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ophiuchus.[2] It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784.[3][4][5]

Round and planet-shaped, the nebula is also relatively faint. The high energy radiation from the central white dwarf causes the surrounding nebula to emit light.[6] The nebula's main ring structure is about a light-year across and the glow from ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms are colored blue, green, and red respectively.

The Little Ghost Nebula should not be confused with the Ghost Nebula (Sh2-136) or the Ghost Head Nebula (NGC 2080).

The central star of the planetary nebula has a spectral type of [WO3], indicating a spectrum similar to that of an oxygen-rich Wolf–Rayet star.[7] An analysis of Gaia data suggests that the it may be a binary system.[8] The central star was monitored by the Kepler space telescope, but it was not found to be variable.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d e "NGC 6369". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  2. ^ a b c "Little Ghost Nebula (NGC 6369)". The European Space Agency. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Planetary Nebula NGC 6369 in Ophiuchus". Kopernik Observatory & Science Center. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Little Ghost Nebula (NGC 6369)". Deep⋆Sky Corner. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  5. ^ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (8 November 2002). "NGC 6369: The Little Ghost Nebula". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  6. ^ "NGC 6369: Little Ghost Nebula". NASA. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. ^ González-Santamaría, I.; Manteiga, M.; Manchado, A.; Ulla, A.; Dafonte, C.; López Varela, P. (2021). "Planetary nebulae in Gaia EDR3: Central star identification, properties, and binarity". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 656: A51. arXiv:2109.12114. Bibcode:2021A&A...656A..51G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202141916. S2CID 237940344.
  8. ^ Chornay, N.; Walton, N. A.; Jones, D.; Boffin, H. M. J.; Rejkuba, M.; Wesson, R. (2021). "Towards a more complete sample of binary central stars of planetary nebulae with Gaia". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 648: A95. arXiv:2101.01800. Bibcode:2021A&A...648A..95C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202140288. S2CID 230770301.
  9. ^ Jacoby, George H.; Hillwig, Todd C.; Jones, David; Martin, Kayla; De Marco, Orsola; Kronberger, Matthias; Hurowitz, Jonathan L.; Crocker, Alison F.; Dey, Josh (2021). "Binary central stars of planetary nebulae identified with Kepler/K2". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 506 (4): 5223–5246. arXiv:2104.07934. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab2045.