Planetary nebula · Scorpius
NGC 6302 Bug Nebula
Also known as: C69
mag 9.642″ across
About
NGC 6302, the Bug Nebula, is a planetary nebula of magnitude 9.6 in Scorpius, about 42″ across.
How to find it
- NGC 6302 is in the constellation Scorpius.
- Best evenings: around late July 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 43° 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 small disc or ring of grey-green light; an OIII or UHC filter helps.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 6302, C69, PN G349.5+01.0 |
|---|---|
| Type | Planetary nebula |
| Magnitude | 9.6The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 42″the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | ≈ 17.5 mag/arcsec²Estimate from the magnitude and size, per square arcsecond. |
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 13m 44.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 06′ 11″ |
More in Scorpius
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 →