Planetary Nebula Abell 68

Abell 68
Abell 68: Planetary Nebula in Vulpecula; 500 mm Cassegrain 3625 mm f/7.2; SBIG STL11K; 200-60-60-60 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2015 Radek Chromik

History

This planetary nebula was discovered in 1955 by the American astronomer George Ogden Abell on the photo plates of the «Palomar Observatory Sky Survey» (POSS). In 1955 he published a first list of 13 globular clusters and the positions of 73 planetary nebulae. The PN first had the number 55. In 1966 Abell published a complete list including the size and description of the 86 planetary nebulae discovered on the POSS photo plates. This planetary nebula was then number 68 on his list. The designation PK 60-04.1 comes from the two Czechoslovak astronomers Luboš Perek and Luboš Kohoutek, who in 1967 compiled a catalog of all the planetary nebulae of the Milky Way known at that time. [331, 332]

Physical Properties

«Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae» Acker et al., 1992 [141]
DesignationsPN G060.0-04.3: A 68, PK 60-04.1, A55 55, ARO 166, VV' 522
Right Ascension (J2000.0)20h 00m 11s
Declination (J2000.0)+21° 42' 58"
Dimensions 38." (optical)
C-Star DesignationsAG82 394
C-Star Magnitude13.42 mag (U filter), 13.52 mag (B filter), 13.26 mag (V filter)
DiscovererABELL 1955

Finder Chart

This planetary nebula can be found in the constellation Vulpecula and is highest in the sky from the months March through December.

Chart Planetary Nebula Abell 68
Planetary Nebula Abell 68 in constellation Vulpecula. Chart created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. [149, 160]

Visual Observation

Pending ...

More Objects Nearby (±15°)

References

141Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae; A. Acker, F. Ochsenbein, B. Stenholm, R. Tylenda, J. Marcout, C. Schohn; European Southern Observatory; ISBN 3-923524-41-2 (1992); Bibcode:1992secg.book.....A
149SkySafari 6 Pro, Simulation Curriculum; skysafariastronomy.com
160The STScI Digitized Sky Survey; archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
331«Globular Clusters and Planetary Nebulae Discovered on the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey» Abell, G. O.; Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 67, No. 397, p.258-261, August 1955; DOI:10.1086/126815; Bibcode:1955PASP...67..258A
332«Properties of Some Old Planetary Nebulae» Abell, G. O.; Astrophysical Journal, vol. 144, p.259, April 1966; DOI:10.1086/148602; Bibcode:1966ApJ...144..259A