The large and weak planetary nebula Purgathofer-Weinberger 1 appears as an enlightened shell in this long exposure image taken by a skyshooter in the courtyard. Credit: Don Goldman
Takeaway Keyway:
- Puwe 1 is a very large planetary nebula.
- It is one of the most closest planetary nebulas to the earth.
- His fainting makes it difficult to see with small telescopes.
- Astrophotographers with good equipment can imagine it.
Many weak planetary nebulae have not remained discoveries for surprisingly long times after Charles Messier and the Herschel stopped cataloging nebulous objects that lie around the sky. It was only in 1980 that two Austrian astronomers, Alois Purgathofer and Ronald Weinberger, found a large and weak planetary nebula while looking for plates of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.
What has been designated Purgathofer-Weinberger 1, often abbreviated Puwe 1, is located in the western lynx, near the border with Camelopardali, and shines weakly with magnitude 11.2. The large size of the 20th minute object means that it has a very low brightness of the surface – in other words, small parts seem to be very housing.
Puwe 1 is so great that it is the second largest planetary nebula in our sky. Its low brightness of the surface makes it practically impossible to find visually through the telescopes of the courtyard, but obviously the astroimagists who have substantial equipment can record it.
Purgathofer-Weinberger 1 is about 1,300 light years away, making it one of the closer planetary nebulae for us, thus explaining its large apparent dimensions. Take a look at this object when you have a chance, in particular if you are an ambitious astrophotographer.
