The Eskimo Nebula, or NGC 2392, was discovered in the late 18th century by the German astronomer William Herschel. In astronomy, it is also popularly known as the Clownface Nebula. The Eskimo Nebula is located 2,870 light-years away in the Gemini constellation and can be spotted in a small telescope.
Eskimo Nebula in Gemini Constellation
Photo: NASA
NGC 4361 is a planetary nebula located in the centre of the Corvus constellation. The nebula surrounds a magnitude 13 star and resembles a faint elliptical galaxy.
Planetary Nebula NGC 4361
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NGC 6729 was one of the three nebulae discovered by the German astronomer Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt in 1861.It is a combination reflection and emission nebula that surrounds the star R Coronae Australis, an Orion-type variable located in the constellation Corona Australis.
NGC 6729 in Corona Australis
Photo: Wikisky.org
Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) in Carina constellation is a large emission nebula that contains a number of O-type stars and several open star clusters. The brightest, most notable star in the nebula is eta Carinae, a supergiant 100 times as massive as the Sun, expected to explode as a supernova or hypernova in the relatively near future. Eta Carinae is one of the brightest and most massive stars in the Milky Way galaxy. It lies 7,500 – 8,000 light-years away.
The Carina Nebula is between 6,500 and 10,000 light-years distant from Earth.
Eta Carinae Nebula in Carina constellation
Photo: Spitzer Science Center
The Whirlpool Nebula, also known as Messier 51, Arp~85, VV~1 and NGC 5194/NGC 5195, was the first object in the night sky with a spiral structure to be discovered, way back in 1845. It can be found in the constellation Canes Venatici. Messier 51 really consists of two galaxies, NGC 5194 and NGC 5195. NGC 5194 is a large spiral galaxy, while its companion is a smaller barred galaxy.
Messier 51 is not as big and massive as the Milky Way, but it is brighter as a result of being populated by bright, hot, young O and B type stars. It is approximately 31 million light-years distant.
Whirlpool Nebula (Messier 51) in Canes Venatici
The Flaming Star Nebula, or IC 405, is a diffuse nebula in the Auriga constellation. The nebula surrounds AE Aurigae, an extremely hot, blue, O-type star sometimes called the Flaming Star. Lying approximately 1,460 light-years away, AE Aurigae is one of the best known runaway stars in the night sky.
Flaming Star Nebula IC 405 in Auriga
Photo: Hewholooks
The Stingray Nebula is a rapidly evolving planetary nebula located 18,000 light-years away in the Ara constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky. Approximately 130 the size of our solar system, the Stingray Nebula is the youngest planetary nebula ever discovered.
Stingray Nebula in Ara Constellation
Photo: NASA
The planetary nebula NGC 6751 lies 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. It is about 0,8 light-years in diameter. The surface temperature of the central star is estimated to be in the range of 140,000 K. It is the radiation and winds from the star that are responsible for the nebula’s appearance.
Astronomers will probably recognize NGC 6751 from the photograph released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in 2000.
Planetary Nebula NGC 6751 in Aquila Constellation
Photo: NASA/ESA
The Saturn Nebula, or NGC 7009, is a bright planetary nebula in the Aquarius constellation. Discovered in the late 18th century by the German astronomer William Herschel, the Saturn Nebula was named for its resemblance to the planet Saturn and its rings. At the centre of the Saturn Nebula is a bright, hot bluish white dwarf star with a visual magnitude of 11.5. The nebula is 2-4,000 light-years distant from Earth.
The Saturn Nebula in Aquarius
Photo by NASA and European Space Agency
Reflection nebula NGC 1333 is a star forming region located in Perseus constellation and part of the Perseus OB2 molecular cloud complex. The nebula is approximately a thousand light-years distant from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.6. The light of the stars that are being formed in the nebula is obscured by thick clouds of dust, but a photograph taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed that the young stars are divided into two groups inside the nebula; one in the northern region and the other one in the southern part of NGC 1333.
Reflection Nebula NGC 1333 in Perseus
