Nebula
Ghost of Jupiter
Planetary nebula · C59 · NGC 3242
Planetary nebula in Hydra
Photo: Judy Schmidt · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
NGC 3242 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Hydra. Alternatively, it is known as the Ghost of Jupiter, Eye Nebula or Caldwell 59. William Herschel discovered the nebula on February 7, 1785, and catalogued it as H IV.27. John Herschel observed it from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, in the 1830s, and numbered it as h 3248, and included it in the 1864 General Catalogue as GC 2102; this became NGC 3242 in J. L. E. Dreyer's New General Catalogue of 1888.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~1,400 light-years
Apparent mag.
+9
Apparent size
0.4′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
C59 · NGC 3242
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 59 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 3242.
- Found in the constellation Hydra.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
