The sky around NGC 6765 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 6765 is a planetary nebula in Lyra, 7,610 light-years away
NGC 6765 (PN G062.4+09.5) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Lyra, 7,610 light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.9 and spans 40″ of sky, about 1.5 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in August.
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 6765 from Sulafat
NGC 6765 lies 3.4° southeast of Sulafat, the magnitude 3.3 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 6765 is highest in the evening in August
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 northern hemisphere and south to about 59°S, and never sets north of 59°N.
NGC 6765 is 7,610 light-years away
The light seen from NGC 6765 tonight left it about 7,610 years ago. Distance source: Statistical distance, Stanghellini et al. 2008 (2334 pc).
Objects within 6° of NGC 6765
8 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
