Planetary nebula · Corvus
NGC 4361 Lawn Sprinkler Nebula
mag 10.91.1′ across
About
NGC 4361, the Lawn Sprinkler Nebula, is a planetary nebula of magnitude 10.9 in Corvus, about 1.1′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 4361 is in the constellation Corvus.
- Best evenings: around mid-May 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 61° 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 | NGC 4361, PN G294.1+43.6 |
|---|---|
| Type | Planetary nebula |
| Magnitude | 10.9The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 1.1′the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | ≈ 19.7 mag/arcsec²Estimate from the magnitude and size, per square arcsecond. |
| Constellation | Corvus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 24m 30.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −18° 47′ 05″ |
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 →