NGC 5873 is a planetary nebula in Lupus, 2,140 light-years away
NGC 5873 (ESO 328-034) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Lupus , 2,140 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.0 and spans 7″ of sky, about 0.1 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in June.
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 5873 from δ Lup
δ Lup
NGC 5873
LUPUS
NGC 5873 lies 3.0° northwest of δ Lup , the magnitude 3.2 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 5873 is highest in the evening in June
JAN
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JUL
AUG
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NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -64° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -51° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -67° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -71° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -52° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 0° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -76° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -73° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -50° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -82° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -71° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -79° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -64° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -70° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -36° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -38° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 65° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 43° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 79° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 72° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 48° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 82° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 75° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 51° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
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 52°N, and never sets south of 52°S.
NGC 5873 is 2,140 light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5873 tonight left it about 2,140 years ago. Distance source: Gaia central-star parallax via OpenNGC (1.525 mas, 656 pc).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5873
11 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5873 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Lupus Designations NGC 5873, ESO 328-034, IRAS 15096-3756, PN G331.3+16.8 Type planetary nebula Right ascension (J2000) 15h 12.8m Declination (J2000) -38° 08′ Magnitude 11.0 (B 13.0) Apparent size 7″ True size 0.1 light-years Distance 2,140 light-years (Gaia central-star parallax via OpenNGC (1.525 mas, 656 pc)) Radial velocity -130 km/s Central star HD 134743, magnitude 15.0 Best with Telescope Best month June Catalog page NGC 5501 to 6000
