Gum mist
| Gum mist | |
|---|---|
| German name | Gum mist |
| English name | Gum nebula |
| Catalog names | Gum 12 |
| Right ascension | 07h 43m |
| declination | −42 ° 06 ' |
| Equinox | 2000.0 |
| distance | 450-1500 light years |
| Apparent diameter | 40 ° |
| Absolute diameter | ~ 1000 light years |
| Constellation | Vela , puppis |
The Gum Nebula (Gum 12) is an emission nebula that is located in the southern constellations Vela and Puppis . With an apparent diameter of 40 °, it is the nebula with the largest angular extent in the night sky.
Details
The fog was named after its discoverer, the Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum named, of his discovery in 1955 in his work A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae ( study of diffuse southern H-alpha mists published).
Astronomical context
The Gum Nebula is approximately spherical in size, with the edge closest to us being 450 light years away, while the edge facing away from us is 1500 light years away. It is assumed that the Gum Nebula is an already strongly expanded supernova remnant that continues to expand at about 20 km / s , the origin of which lies in an explosion that occurred over a million years ago.
Inside the nebula lies the Vela-OB2 association , the hot stars of which make the nebula shine . The object also contains the Vela supernova remnant and the Vela pulsar , both of which, at 10,000 years old, are significantly younger than the surrounding gum nebula.
- Other objects within the gum nebula
- Stars
observation
Due to its southern location, the Gum Nebula cannot be observed from Central Europe. From the southern hemisphere, due to its large area and the resulting weak relative brightness to the starry sky, it is difficult to make out or can only be observed astrophotographically .
Web links
- General information
- Photograph of the Gum Nebula
- The Gum Nebula - Astronomy Picture of the Day of August 22, 2009.