The sky around NGC 2610 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.
NGC 2610 is a planetary nebula in Hydra, 5,640 light-years away
NGC 2610 (PN G239.6+13.9) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Hydra, 5,640 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.7 and spans 38″ of sky, about 1.0 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in March.
Planetary nebula: a shell of gas thrown off by a dying Sun-like star and lit by the hot core left behind, which becomes a white dwarf. The name comes from their small, round, planet-like look in early telescopes.
Finding NGC 2610 from Tureis
NGC 2610 lies 10.2° northeast of Tureis, the magnitude 2.8 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 2610 is highest in the evening in March
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 74°N, and never sets south of 74°S.
NGC 2610 is 5,640 light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2610 tonight left it about 5,640 years ago. Distance source: Gaia central-star parallax via OpenNGC (0.579 mas, 1729 pc).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2610
12 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
