Shapley 1

Shapley 1. Photo by David Malin

An annular planetary nebula in the constellation Norma. It was discovered by Harlow Shapley in 1936. Shapley 1 is unusual among planetaries in that it is neither bipolar nor a simple sphere of gas. Most ring-like planetary nebulae really consist of spherical shells and only appear annular because we are looking through a greater thickness of gas at the edge of the shell. Shapley 1, however, seems to be a true torus (doughnut-shape) seen face-on. Close inspection reveals a faint outer halo.

visual magnitude	nebula: 12.6, central star: 14
angular diameter	1.1'
distance	~1,000 light-years (300 pc)
position	R.A. 15h 51m 41s; Dec. 11° -51°' 31' 29"
other designations	PLN 329+2.1

Related category

• NEBULAE AND STAR CLUSTERS

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