Planetary nebula · Grus
IC 5148 Spare Tyre Nebula
Also known as: IC 5150
mag 11.02.3′ across
About
IC 5148, the Spare Tyre Nebula, is a planetary nebula of magnitude 11.0 in Grus, about 2.3′ across.
How to find it
- IC 5148 is in the constellation Grus.
- Best evenings: around early October it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 41° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)Too faint for binoculars.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A faint round glow — a UHC or OIII filter makes it much easier.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | IC 5148, IC 5150, PK 2-52 1, PN G002.7-52.4 |
|---|---|
| Type | Planetary nebula |
| Magnitude | 11.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 2.3′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | ≈ 21.4 mag/arcsec²Estimate from the magnitude and size, per square arcsecond. |
| Constellation | Grus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 21h 59m 35.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −39° 23′ 09″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →