| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| Planetary nebula | |
 legacy surveys image | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 6h 34m 7.4s |
| Declination | +44° 46′ 40″ |
| Distance | 6,500 ly |
| Constellation | Auriga constellation |
| Designations | PK 170+15 1, ZWG 204.5, IRAS 06304+4448, IRAS F06304+4448 |
NGC 2242 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Auriga. It was discovered by Lewis A. Swift on November 24, 1886,[1] and was thought to be a galaxy until a study published in 1987 showed it to be a planetary nebula.[2] The nebula is located about 6,500 light-years away, and about 1,600 light-years above the galactic plane.[3]
The central star of the planetary nebula is an O-type star with a spectral type of O(H).[4]
- ^ "Celestial Atlas". Courtney Seligman. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ^ Shaw, Richard A; Bidelman, William P (Jan 1987). "NGC 2242 - A newly-discovered planetary nebula". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 99: 27–30. Bibcode:1987PASP...99...27S. doi:10.1086/131951.
- ^ Torres-Peimbert, Silvia, ed. (1989). Planetary Nebulae: Proceedings of the 131st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, Held in Mexico City, Mexico, October 5–9, 1987. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7923-0003-8. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ 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.