Map of the Universe

Cat's Eye Nebula

Planetary nebula · Planetary nebula in the constellation Draco

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Cat's Eye Nebula
Picture: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Z. Tsvetanov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About the Cat's Eye Nebula

The Cat's Eye Nebula is about 3,262 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 3,262 years ago.

It is 27,512 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.

Key numbers

Distance3,262 light-years (1,000 pc)
Distance from the Galactic centre27,512 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 96.50°, b = +30.00°
Sizeabout 0.4 light-years across

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Orion–Cygnus Arm (Local Arm) › 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 Cat's Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Draco, discovered by William Herschel on February 15, 1786.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cat's Eye Nebula, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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