NGC 1501 is a complex planetary nebula located in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Camelopardalis Camelopardalis is a large but faint constellation of the northern sky representing a giraffe. The constellation was introduced in 1612 or 1613 by Petrus Plancius. Some older astronomy books give Camelopardalus or Camelopardus as alternative for ...

, it was discovered on the 27th August 1787 by William Herschel. It is also known as the Oyster Nebula.

Properties

The central star of the planetary nebula has a spectral type of C4 similar to that of a carbon-rich Wolf–Rayet star. It is a pulsating star, meaning that its brightness varies regularly and periodically. In the case of NGC 1501's progenitor star, this is incredibly fast, with the star's brightness changing significantly in just half an hour. An analysis of ''

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenog ...

'' data suggests that the central star is a binary system. Visible-light observations capture the glow of gases including hydrogen and nitrogen. The total mass of the nebula is estimated to be around , most of which is ionized gas () and a small fraction () is carbon-rich dust.

Gallery

NGC1501Location.png, The location of NGC 1501 (circled in red) NGC1501 Planetary Nebula from the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Schulman Telescope courtesy Adam Block.jpg, NGC 1501 from the 0.8m Schulman Telescope at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter

References

External links

* *http://www.astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/abellcat *http://www.observing.skyhound.com/archives/dec/NGC_1501 NGC 1501 Camelopardalis

1501 Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna. * March 25 & ...

Discoveries by William Herschel {{nebula-stub