Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)
Object Description
IC 443 was discovered on 25 September 1892 by the German astronomer Max Wolf. [196] Because of its appearance, the nebula was nicknamed the «Jellyfish Nebula», not to be confused with the Medusa Nebula (Abell 21). Not only do both objects have a similar name (Medusa is the scientific name for jellyfish), they also have a similar appearance. In contrast to Abell 21, IC 443 is a supernova remnant and not a planetary nebula. The pulsar wind nebula with the neutron star CXOU J061705.3+222127 was identified as the origin of the supernova. A jet-like structure was discovered in IC 443, which appears to emanate from the neutron star. The distance to IC 443 is about 1.9 kpc (6200 light years) and the age is estimated to be about 30'000 years. [307, 359]
| Designation | IC 443 |
| Type | SNR |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 06h 16m 36.0s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +22° 31' 00" |
| Diameter | 50 × 40 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 12.0 mag |
| Metric Distance | 1.500 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | F, narrow, curved |
| Identification, Remarks | LBN 844; VMT 9; Sh2-248 |
Finder Chart
The galactic nebula IC 443 is located at the star Propus (η Gem) in the constellation Gemini, which is best visible from October to April.
Visual Observation
400 mm aperture: With O-III filter and 21 mm Ethos eyepiece the brightest sickle shaped part of this nebula is visible only with averted vision. It looks a bit like the Medusa Nebula (Abell 21) but much fainter. Without filter and with H-beta no nebula can be seen. Larger aperture or darker sky required. — Taurus T400 f/4.5 Dobsonian, Bernd Nies, Glaubenberg Langis, 28 February 2022