RA 296.2005° · Dec 50.5250° · openngc
22 more points to reach Anomaly.
Blinking Planetary is an epic nebula. It lies about 5,137.9 light-years from Earth, sits in the constellation Cyg and shines at apparent magnitude 9.44.
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 Blinking Planetary in the constellation Cyg. At apparent magnitude 9.44, a small backyard telescope will bring it into view.
Like any astronomical target, Blinking Planetary 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.
Blinking Planetary scores 56 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the epic tier. Another 22 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 6 science badges — Nebula, Distant (over 1,000 light-years), Has a proper name, Planetary nebula (a dying star's shell), Coming towards us and Its dying star is still visible — 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.