Archived from: http://www.noao.edu/jacoby/n2346.html

Planetary Nebula Sampler

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NGC 2346

Other NOAO image of NGC 2346:

AOP NGC 2346 Image

This nebula belongs to the class of bipolar planetaries exhibiting "butterfly" or "hourglass" morphologies. Typically, these nebulae come from somewhat younger stars than rounder planetaries.

Shape: butterfly shaped

Distance: 2,000 light years

Location: Constellation Monoceros

RA: 07 09 22.52 DEC: -00 48 23.6

Size: 1/3 of a light year in diameter

Abundances/Description: unusually bright with two central stars that orbit around each other every 16 days.

Discoverer: William Herschel (1790), Minkowski (1946)

Other Links:

Astronomy Picture of the Day from Hubble Space Telescope
An infrared image [from ING's Galileo Telescope]
Image from David Malin (AAT 79)

Author: George Jacoby
Planetary Nebula Sampler

Curator: Hartmut Frommert [contact]
[Planetary Nebulae index] [SEDS]