Abell 78
Planetary nebula in the constellation of Cygnus
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Abell 78 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus at a distance of about 5,000 light years.
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| Planetary nebula | |
As Seen From Mount Lemmon Sky Center | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 21h 35m 29.376s[1] |
| Declination | +31° 41m 45.6s[1] |
| Distance | ~5000 ly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 13.25[2] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 1.78′ × 1.78′[2] |
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 1.4 ly |
| Designations | PK 081-14.1, PN G 081.2-14.9, Abel 64, ARO 174, 2MASS J21352938+3141453, CSI+31-21334, UBV 18570, UBV M 44681 |
History
Abell 78 was discovered in 1955 by George Ogden Abell. He discovered the nebula on a plate of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. The nebula's discovery was published in 1966 along with 86 other planetary nebulae Abell discovered in the survey.[3]
Structure
It has a fainter halo consisting mostly hydrogen, an inner elliptical ring that is mostly made of helium and some inner knots that surround the central star and are extremely depleted in hydrogen. These inner knots were created by a very late thermal pulse, a re-ignition of thermonuclear activity in the helium shell of the star observed after the star left the asymptotic giant branch and is accompanied by strong stellar winds.[4][5]
The central star of the planetary nebula has a spectral type of [WC5], similar to that of a carbon-rich Wolf–Rayet star.[1] The spectrum of the inner knots is indicative of the presence of a binary system.[4]
Gallery
An unusual type of Planetary Nebula
