RA 289.6035° · Dec -1.5964° · openngc
2 more points to reach Uncommon.
NGC 6778 is a common nebula. It lies about 494.2 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Aql and shines at apparent magnitude 12.3.
A planetary nebula: the shed outer atmosphere of a dying Sun-like star, lit from within by the naked stellar core left behind.
Look for NGC 6778 in the constellation Aql. At apparent magnitude 12.3, it takes a larger telescope or a long-exposure image to capture.
Like any astronomical target, NGC 6778 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
NGC 6778 scores 20 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the common tier. Another 2 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 2 science badges — Nebula and Planetary nebula (a dying star's shell) — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.