Abell 39

For 8-inch or larger telescopes

Abell 39 (PNG 047.0+42.4, PK 047+42.1, ARO 180) is a relatively large and diffuse planetary nebula. Its integrated magnitude is a faint 13.7 within a diameter of 3.9'. A 15.7 magnitude central star lies within. The nebula and star lie at a distance of 4400 light years.

The nebula will require very dark skies to see without a filter, particularly with telescopes smaller than 16 inches. It appears as a round hazy patch that is very faint. This one is a challenge for an eight-inch scope.

Sixteen-inch or larger scopes will show sharp edges and a slightly darker central region.

The view in a 12-inch at 51x.

In my 18-inch without a filter it was a very challenging object, appearing as a very slight round haze with averted vision. I had to observe this one on different nights and spend a great deal of time to convince myself that I really did see it.

The above image from the DSS using SkyView shows a 20' x 20' field about the nebula. North is down and east is to the right.

The above color image was created by combining red and blue second-generation DSS images. Note the apparent faint distant galaxies within the bounds of the nebula!

Millennium Star Atlas Vol III Chart 1181

Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 8

Uranometria 2000 Vol I Chart 156

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