IC 418, also known as Spirograph Nebula, is a
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 ...
of
Lepus about 3,600
ly away. It spans 0.3
light-years across.
The name derives from the intricate pattern of the nebula, which resembles a pattern which can be created using the
Spirograph, a toy that produces
geometric pattern
A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...
s (specifically,
hypotrochoid
In geometry, a hypotrochoid is a roulette traced by a point attached to a circle of radius rolling around the inside of a fixed circle of radius , where the point is a distance from the center of the interior circle.
The parametric equations f ...
s and
epitrochoids) on paper.
The central star of the planetary nebula, HD 35914, is an
O-type star with a
spectral type of O7fp.
References
External links
*
The Spirograph Nebula (IC 418) - STScI Press Release*
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is a website provided by NASA and Michigan Technological University (MTU). According to the website, "Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written ...
IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula- 2010 April 11
IC 0418
IC 0418
0418
O-type stars
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