NGC 1501 is a complex planetary nebula located in the constellation of Camelopardalis, discovered in 1787 by William Herschel.
The central star of the planetary nebula has a spectral type of [WC4], 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 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 0.22 M☉, most of which is ionized gas (0.21 M☉) and a small fraction (8.9×10−4 M☉) is carbon-rich dust.
NGC 1501
NGC 1501 is a complex planetary nebula located in the constellation of Camelopardalis, discovered in 1787 by William Herschel.
The central star of the planetary nebula has a spectral type of [WC4], 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 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 0.22 M☉, most of which is ionized gas (0.21 M☉) and a small fraction (8.9×10−4 M☉) is carbon-rich dust.
Photographed with CPC 9,25″ reflector telescope and Nikon D800 DSLR camera in Åva, March 2016. Exposure was 7 * 150s with autoguiding.
