NGC 3918

E498147

NGC 3918 is a bright planetary nebula in the southern sky, often called the "Blue Planetary" due to its vivid blue appearance.

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf planetary nebula
angularSize approximately 20 arcseconds
apparentMagnitudeV 8.5
belongsToGalaxy Milky Way NERFINISHED
bestSeenWith small to medium amateur telescopes
carriesCaldwellNumber C90 NERFINISHED
catalog Caldwell catalogue NERFINISHED
New General Catalogue NERFINISHED
catalogNumber NGC 3918 NERFINISHED
centralStar hot white dwarf
color blue
declination −57° 11′
discoveredBy John Herschel NERFINISHED
discoveryYear 1834
distanceFromEarth approximately 1.5 kiloparsecs
approximately 4900 light-years
dominantIon doubly ionized oxygen (O III)
ejectionOrigin outer layers of a dying star
excitationClass high-excitation planetary nebula
galacticLatitude +11.7 degrees (approximate)
galacticLongitude 294.6 degrees (approximate)
hasAlternativeName Blue Planetary NERFINISHED
Caldwell 90 NERFINISHED
The Blue Planetary NERFINISHED
hasEmission ionized gas
hasStructure bright inner shell
fainter outer halo
hemisphere southern sky
isTargetFor amateur astronomers
planetary nebula evolution studies
locatedInConstellation Centaurus NERFINISHED
morphologicalType elliptical planetary nebula
notableFor vivid blue appearance
observationalClass bright planetary nebula
observedIn infrared wavelengths
optical wavelengths
radio wavelengths
phaseOfStellarEvolution late stage of low- to intermediate-mass star
rightAscension 11h 50m
skyRegion near the Crux–Centaurus area
spectralFeatures strong [O III] emission lines
surfaceBrightness high
visibilitySeason autumn and winter in Southern Hemisphere

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.