IC 1266
Planetary nebula in the constellation Ara
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IC 1266 (also known as Tc 1) is a planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Ara. It is a compact emission nebula surrounding a dying star, appearing stellar due to its small angular size and faint gaseous spectrum. Discovered in 1894 by astronomer Williamina Fleming, IC 1266 lies approximately 12,400 light-years from Earth and is best observed from the Southern Hemisphere.[3][4]
| Nebula | |
|---|---|
| Planetary nebula | |
IC 1266 imaged by Legacy Surveys | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 17h 45m 35.29s |
| Declination | −46° 05′ 23.7″ |
| Distance | 12,400[1] ly |
| Constellation | Ara |
| Designations | IC 1266, Tc 1[2] |
Observation and Characteristics
IC 1266 has an apparent visual magnitude of 11.2 and spans about 0.2 arcminutes in diameter, making it one of the smaller known planetary nebulae.[5] The central star is an O-type star HD 161044, it has a P Cygni type profile.[6]
Spectroscopic and other studies reveal low-excitation lines typical of young planetary nebulae, with abundances of elements and molecules are found like[7] the first fullerenes in space like C60 and C70[8][9] were discovered in this nebula in 2010 using the Spitzer Space Telescope. These molecules are therefore the largest found in space.[10]