NGC 6072

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NGC 6072
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
NGC 6072 imaged by NIRCam on the James Webb Space Telescope
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension16h 12m 58.363s[1]
Declination−36° 13′ 47.40″[1]
Distance3,060 ly (939 pc)[1]
3,320 ly (1,017 pc)[2] ly
Apparent magnitude (V)14[3]
Apparent dimensions (V)70″[2]
ConstellationScorpius
DesignationsPN Sa 2-134, SCM 107, ESO 389-PN 015, IRAS F16097-3606, 2MASX J16125713-3613263[4]
See also: Lists of nebulae

NGC 6072 is a planetary nebula in the southern constellation of Scorpius. It has a dynamical age of 104 years, and was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on 7 June 1837.[5][6]

NGC 6072 has a circumstellar envelope which is likely to be rich in carbon as it has very strong CN (cyanide) spectral lines. CN spectral lines are generally not detected in oxygen rich AGB (asymptotic giant branch) circumstellar envelopes. NGC 6072 also shows H2 (hydrogen) emission and intense CO (carbon monoxide) emission which has been mapped displaying bipolarity and some gas at high velocity. The evolution of this planetary nebulae is likely to be dominated by photodissociation and ion/radical molecular reactions. Shock chemistry is also likely to be important.

An analysis of Gaia data suggests that the central star is a binary system.[7]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. ^ a b Stanghellini, L.; et al. (2008). "The Magellanic Cloud Calibration of the Galactic Planetary Nebula Distance Scale". The Astrophysical Journal. 689 (1): 194–202. arXiv:0807.1129. Bibcode:2008ApJ...689..194S. doi:10.1086/592395. S2CID 119257242.
  3. ^ "Students for the Exploration and Development of Space". Results for NGC 6072. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  4. ^ "NGC 6072". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  5. ^ Herschel, J. F. W (1864). "Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 154: 1–137. Bibcode:1864RSPT..154....1H. doi:10.1098/rstl.1864.0001.
  6. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 6072". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  7. ^ Chornay, N.; et al. (2021). "Towards a more complete sample of binary central stars of planetary nebulae with Gaia". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 648: A95. arXiv:2101.01800. Bibcode:2021A&A...648A..95C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202140288. S2CID 230770301.
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  • Media related to NGC 6072 at Wikimedia Commons


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