Planetary Nebula IC 289

IC 289
IC 289: Planetary nebula in Cassiopeia; 500 mm Cassegrain 3625 mm f/7.2; SBIG STL11K; 120+3*40 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2015 Radek Chromik [32]

Object Description

The planetary nebula IC 289 was discovered on 2 September 1888 by the American astronomer Lewis Swift with a 16 inch reflector telescope. He described it as «fairly bright, fairly large, round, between two very faint stars». [277, 314] In 1921 Edwin Hubble identified the nebula as a planetary nebula. [416]

IC 289
IC 289: Image taken by Hubble Space Telescope. © ESA/Hubble & NASA [418]

The visual appearance resembles a somewhat irregular ring with dimensions 38x28 arcseconds and a position angle of 142°, which is surrounded by a weaker, almost circular emission with a diameter of 42 arcseconds. The axis of the spheroid is almost perpendicular to the line of sight with an inclination of 10°. [417] The distance is about 1448 pc to 1592 pc. [145]

«Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae» Acker et al., 1992 [141]
Designations PN G138.8+02.8: IC 289, PK 138+02.1, ARO 86, Hb 1, VV 9, VV' 15
Right Ascension (J2000.0) 03h 10m 19s
Declination (J2000.0) +61° 19' 02"
Dimensions 35." (optical)
Distance 2.8 - 4.8 kpc
Radial Velocity -20.0 ± 4.0 km/s
Expansion Velocity 25.5 (O-III) km/s
C-Star Designations AG82 19, NSV 1056
C-Star Magnitude B: >15.1, V: >15.9
Discoverer HUBBLE 1921

Finder Chart

The planetary nebula IC 289 is located in the constellation Cassiopeia near the border with Camelopardalis (Giraffe). The object is circumpolar, but the best time to view it is July to January, when it is highest at night.

Finder Chart Planetary Nebula IC 289
Planetary Nebula IC 289 in constellation Cassiopeia. Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. [149, 160]

More Objects Nearby (±15°)

References