The Pacman Nebula

Pacman nebula

Location in Sky

Pacman nebula

Acquisition: Skywatcher-130PDS. October, 2022


Quick Facts

  • Catalog: NGC 281.
  • Discovered: 1883, Edward Emerson Barnard.
  • Distance from Earth: 9,200 light-years.
  • Diameter: 96 Lightyears.
  • Magnitude: 7.4
  • Best Visible: Fall.

    • Description

    The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a cosmic cloud of space gas located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It gets its name from the classic video game character it resembles. It features a dark dust lane that forms the Pac-Man's mouth. This Nebula is located within the Perseus arm of the Milky Way galaxy. In infrared imagery, the dust lane in the mouth of the nebula glows brightly.