AAO image reference AAT 81. « Previous || Next »
Top left is NE. Image width is about 20.5 arc min
Image and text © 1991-2002, Anglo-Australian Observatory, photograph by David Malin.
This planetary nebula was discovered in the rich southern constellation of Vela in 1966, which is why it does not have an NGC number. The designation Wray 17-31 refers to the discoverer, James D. Wray, while PN G277.7-03.5 refers to the galactic coordinates in the most recent planetary nebula catalogue. It was previously identified in these pages as Ack 277-03.1 and it is located at RA 09 31 20.5 Dec. -56 17 40 (J2000).
This beautifully structured delicate sphere of glowing gas is about 2 arc minutes in diameter and is extremely faint. Both these characteristics have contributed to the conspicuous grain 'noise' in the photograph, and attempts to emphasise the faint nebulosity also bring out the many faint stars in this direction, including the markedly blue central star of visual magnitude 18 which is seen here sandwiched between two other, brighter stars.
For details of photographic exposure, search technical table by AAT reference number.