Planetary Nebula Kohoutek 3-46

Kohoutek 3-46
Kohoutek 3-46: Planetary nebula in Cygnus; 500 mm Cassegrain 5800 mm f/11.4; SBIG STL11K; 90+3*15 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2005 Radek Chromik [32]
Kohoutek 3-46
Kohoutek 3-46: Image taken with the 8.1 m Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, Hawai‘i; © 24 July 2024 NOIRLab/NSF/AURA [708]

History

The planetary nebula Kohoutek 3-46 (K 3-46, PK 69+3.1) was discovered in 1972 by the Czechoslovak astronomer Luboš Kohoutek during his Hα Schmidt-Camera survey for faint planetary nebulae at Hamburg Observatory. [748]

Kohoutek 3-46
Kohoutek 3-46: Kinematic model [338]

Physical Properties

The PN has a well-defined hourglass shape with a prominent equatorial ring and marked waist. The expansion rate is very slow. In the equatorial plane it is less than 3 km/s and in the polar direction about 18 km/s. The age is estimated to be around 20'000 years and the distance to be 2.2 kpc (around 7200 light years). [338]

«Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae» Acker et al., 1992 [141]
DesignationsPN G069.2+03.8: K 3-46, PK 69+03.1, ARO 334
Right Ascension (J2000.0)19h 50m 00s
Declination (J2000.0)+33° 45' 55"
Dimensions 23." (optical)
DiscovererKOHOUTEK 1964

Finder Chart

The planetary nebula Kohoutek 3-46 (PK 69+3.1) is located in the constellation Cygnus. The best time to observe is March to December, when it is highest at night.

Cygnus: Planetary Nebula Kohoutek 3-46
Finder Chart Planetary Nebula Kohoutek 3-46
09:12
14:49 | 56.2°
20:26
Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. Times are shown for timezone UTC, Latitude 0°, Longitude 0°, Horizon height 5°, Date 2025-12-07. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 10°

References