NGC 6164

NGC 6164
Nebula
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension16h 33m 42s
Declination-48° 04’ 47”
Distance3,870 ly   (1,188 pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)6.71
ConstellationNorma
Physical characteristics
Dimensions3.0' x 3.0'
DesignationsNGC 6164, AM 1630-475, ESO 226-EN 012
See also: Lists of nebulae

NGC 6164, known as the Dragon's Egg Nebula,[1][2] is an emission nebula located in the constellation Norma. The nebula was discovered by astronomer John Herschel in 1834, and is approximately 3,870 light years from the solar system.

Its shape gives it the appearance of a planetary nebula resulting from the death of an old star similar to the Sun, but it is in reality an emission nebula. The gas from this nebula was ejected by the star located at its center, and this is also the source of its energy. In the Henry Draper Catalogue, this star is designated as HD 148937.[3][4] It is a very young O-type star whose age is between three and four million years.[5][6] Surrounded by its magnetic field,[7][8] this star is about 40 times more massive than the Sun, and is expected to end its life on the main sequence in three to four million years.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ [email protected]. "The nebula NGC 6164/6165 in the constellation of Norma". www.eso.org. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  2. ^ Starr, Michelle (2024-04-11). "Enigmatic 'Dragon's Egg' Star Is a Magnetic Monster And We Finally Know Why". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  3. ^ [email protected]. "Nebula NGC 6164-5". www.noirlab.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  4. ^ Henize, Karl G. (1959-01-01). "A new planetary nebula NGC 6164-65 (Cederblad 135a, b)". The Astronomical Journal. 64: 51. Bibcode:1959AJ.....64S..51H. doi:10.1086/108043. ISSN 0004-6256.
  5. ^ "A Halo for NGC 6164". www.as.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  6. ^ a b "APOD: 2014 May 22 - A Halo for NGC 6164". apod.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  7. ^ Lim, Beomdu; Naze, Yael; Chang, Seok-Jun; Hutsemekers, Damien (2023-12-05). "A Morpho-Kinematic Study of the Enigmatic Emission Nebula NGC 6164/5 Surrounding the Magnetic O-type Star HD 148937". The Astrophysical Journal. 961 (1): 72. arXiv:2312.03211. Bibcode:2024ApJ...961...72L. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad12c4.
  8. ^ Wade, G. A.; Grunhut, J.; Gräfener, G.; Howarth, I. D.; Martins, F.; Petit, V.; Vink, J. S.; Bagnulo, S.; Folsom, C. P.; Nazé, Y.; Walborn, N. R.; Townsend, R. H. D.; Evans, C. J. (2012-01-01). "The spectral variability and magnetic field characteristics of the Of?p star HD 148937". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 419 (3): 2459–2471. arXiv:1108.4847. Bibcode:2012MNRAS.419.2459W. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19897.x. ISSN 0035-8711.