Kronberger 61, also known as the "soccer ball", is a

planetary nebula A planetary nebula (PN, plural PNe) is a type of emission nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives. The term "planetary nebula" is a misnomer because they are unrelate ...

discovered by an amateur

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

in January, 2011, with the newer images having been taken by the

Gemini Observatory The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre (26.6 ft) telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South, which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini telescopes prov ...

. The nebula is named for Austrian Mattias Kronberger, who is a member of the amateur group Deep Sky Hunters. The object is estimated to lie 13,000 light-years away. They discovered the nebula while searching near the northern constellation of Cygnus. It is hoped that the discovery will help resolve a decades-old debate, regarding the role of stellar companions in the formation and structure of planetary nebulae. The nebula is within a relatively small area, which is currently being monitored by NASA's

Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws o ...

planet finding mission and the light of the nebula is primarily due to the emissions from doubly ionized oxygen.

References

Planetary nebulae Cygnus (constellation) 201101?? {{nebula-stub

See also

References