Map of the Universe

Gum Nebula

Supernova remnant · Emission nebula in the constellation Vela

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Gum Nebula
Picture: P. Horálek/ESO (cropped by Szczureq), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About the Gum Nebula

The Gum Nebula is about 1,468 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 1,468 years ago.

It is 27,331 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

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

Key numbers

Distance1,468 light-years (450 pc)
Distance from the Galactic centre27,331 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 258.20°, b = -6.80°
Sizeabout 900 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 Gum Nebula is an emission nebula that extends across 36° in the southern constellations Vela and Puppis. It lies approximately 450 parsecs from the Earth. Hard to distinguish, it was widely believed to be the greatly expanded remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago.

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

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