Planetary Nebula Abell 8 in Cluster Bica 6
Object Description
The planetary nebula Abell 8 (PK 167-0.1) was discovered in 1955 by the American astronomer George Ogden Abell on the photo plates of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS). Most of these 86 PNs discovered on the POSS photo plates are large and have a low surface brightness, which suggests that their stage of development is advanced. [331, 332]
In 2008 E. Bica discovered on the digitized images of the POSS that the planetary nebula belongs to a loose, open star cluster about 60' in diameter, which was later named Bica 6 after him. PN and star cluster are about 1.60 ± 0.11 kpc away from us. The age of the star cluster is estimated to be about 109 years. The fact that a PN belongs to an open star cluster makes it possible to calibrate the otherwise rather imprecise determination of the distance of a single PN. [447, 448]
The best-known example of such a pair is the PN NGC 2438, which is located in the open star cluster Messier 46 in the constellation Puppis.
| Designations | PN G167.0-00.9: A 8, PK 167-00.1, A55 7, ARO 216, VV' 28 |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 05h 06m 38s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +39° 08' 08" |
| Dimensions | 60." (optical) |
| Radial Velocity | +58.2 ± 6.5 km/s |
| C-Star Designations | AG82 40 |
| C-Star Magnitude | B: 20.2 |
| Discoverer | ABELL 1955 |
Finder Chart
The planetary nebula Abell 8 is located in the constellation Auriga (Charioteer), about 2° south of the 3 mag bright star Haedus II (η Aurigae). The best observation time is August to April.
