NGC 6629 is a planetary nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius, located above the "Teapot". It is located approximately 2.0 kpc (~6,523 light years) from the Sun. The object formed when a star ejected its outer layers during the late stages of its evolution. The remnant core of the star, a white dwarf, is emitting vast amounts of ultraviolet radiation that ionizes, or excites, the gas surrounding it, making the nebula visible to the human eye through a telescope. Over the course of around 10,000 years the white dwarf will cool down dramatically, diminishing the light of the nebula and making it only visible in a long-exposure photograph. NGC 6629 was discovered by William Herschel in 1868.
On June 26, 2029, the planetary nebula will be occulted by the Moon during a total lunar eclipse, over the eastern Pacific and South America.
See also
List of planetary nebulae Messier object New General Catalogue List of NGC objects NGC 6565 Ring Nebula
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
WorldWide Telescope NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED): NGC 6629