IC 1266
Planetary nebula in the constellation Ara
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IC 1266 (also known as Tc 1, Thackeray 1) is a planetary nebula located in the northeastern section of 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 | |
Tc 1 nebula imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope MIRI instrument | |
| 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] Hydrogenated amorphous carbon grains were suggested to cause emission features in the infrared in IC 1266. These grains may be related to the formation of the fullerenes.[11]
Amateur astronomers
Amateur astronomers, looking for IC 1266 / Thackeray 1, could use HD 160715 and HD 160917 as guidestars. Both stars shine at magnitude + 7 and are, as seen from Earth, located immediately westnorthwest of IC 1266. A little less than 2 degrees westsouthwest of IC 1266 is the location of the star Sigma Arae (σ Arae). IC 1266 is located half a degree south of Eugène Joseph Delporte's boundary between the constellations Ara and Scorpius.