NGC 6337
Planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 6337, the Ghostly Cheerio or Cheerio Nebula, is a toroidal planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius. It appears as a ring-shaped (annular) transparent nebula resembling a piece of the breakfast cereal Cheerios, hence the name. Filament and knots, and a faint shell surround the ring.[2] Its magnitude is 11.90; its position in Scorpius is right ascension 17h 22m15.67s, declination -38° 29' 01.73".[1] The Ghostly Cheerio has a redshift value of -0.000236.
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| Planetary nebula | |
Image of NGC 6337 with the VLT Survey Telescope. Green part of the image was taken with the H-alpha filter. | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 17h 22m 15.67s[1] |
| Declination | −38° 29′ 01.73″[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 0.783' (arcmin)[1] |
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Designations | Ghostly Cheerio, Cheerio Nebula |
There is convincing evidence that a binary nucleus exists at the center of the nebula,[3] with masses of 0.6 and 0.3 M⊙, and a separation of ≤ 1.26 R⊙, indicating a probable common envelope phase. The Ghostly Cheerio's projected radial expansion is slow, averaging 1–2 kilometres per second (0.6–1.2 mi/s).[2]
NGC 6337 is contained within, but is not a part of, the larger nebula Sh 2-5.
