Post by glactus on Dec 8, 2008 10:33:25 GMT
NGC 281
NGC 281 - sometimes referred to casually as the Pacman Nebula is an H II region in the constellation of Cassiopeia and part of the Perseu Spiral Arm. It includes or is near the open cluster IC 1590, the double star HD 5005, and several Bok globules.
Distance from Earth is 9,500 light years and magnitude 7.8 The nickname "Pacman Nebula" derives from its appearence when viewed sideways.
NGC 281 is a star cluster associated with nebulosity. The young, blue central stars are being formed from the surrounding gas, which emits Ha light after being excited by stellar radiation.
The Pacman is visible in amateur telescopes from dark sky locations. In photography, the nebulosity of this region is faint and can be best appreciated in long exposure images.
Credit: This is a NASA/Hubble image