Nebula
Blinking Planetary
Planetary nebula · C15 · NGC 6826
Planetary nebula in Cygnus
Photo: Bruce Balick (University of Washington), Jason Alexander (University of Washington), Arsen · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
NGC 6826 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. It is commonly referred to as the "Blinking Planetary", although many other nebulae exhibit such "blinking". When viewed through a small telescope, the brightness of the central star overwhelms the eye when viewed directly, obscuring the surrounding nebula. However, it can be viewed well using averted vision, which causes it to "blink" in and out of view as the observer's eye wanders.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
Share your location to see where this is in your sky right now.
Key facts
Distance
~2,200 light-years
Apparent mag.
+10
Apparent size
0.4′
Best seen with
Telescope
Catalogue
C15 · NGC 6826
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 15 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 6826.
- Found in the constellation Cygnus.
- Needs a telescope to see clearly.
