Map of the Universe

Boomerang Nebula

Planetary nebula · Protoplanetary nebula in the constellation Centaurus

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Boomerang Nebula
Picture: ESA/NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

About the Boomerang Nebula

The Boomerang Nebula is about 1,213 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 1,213 years ago.

It is 26,381 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

The map lists it as a planetary nebula and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

Its distance or nature is debated, and the map shows one published value.

The coldest known natural place (1 K). Distance contested: 372 pc (Gaia) versus older estimates of ~1.5 kpc.

Key numbers

Distance1,213 light-years (372 pc)
Distance from the Galactic centre26,381 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 302.00°, b = +8.30°
Sizeabout 2 light-years across

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Local Arm, a view about 12,000 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

The Boomerang Nebula is a bipolar reflection young planetary nebula located approximately 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Boomerang Nebula, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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