NGC 6629
Emission nebula
Planetary nebula
The NGC planetary nebula, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Right ascension18h 25m 43s[1]
Declination−23° 12′ 10″[1]
Distance6,523.13[2] ly   (2000[2] pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)11.3[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)16.6″ × 15.5″[2]
ConstellationSagittarius
DesignationsPN G009.4-05.0: NGC 6629, PK 9-05.1, ARO 30, ESO 522-26, He 2- 399, Sa 2-335[2]
See also: Lists of nebulae

NGC 6629 is a planetary nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius, located above the "Teapot". It is located approximately 2.0 kpc (~6,523 light years) from the Sun.[2] The object formed when a star ejected its outer layers during the late stages of its evolution. The remnant core of the star, a white dwarf, is emitting vast amounts of ultraviolet radiation that ionizes, or excites, the gas surrounding it, making the nebula visible to the human eye through a telescope. Over the course of around 10,000 years the white dwarf will cool down dramatically, diminishing the light of the nebula and making it only visible in a long-exposure photograph.[3] NGC 6629 was discovered by William Herschel in 1868.[2]

On June 26, 2029, the planetary nebula will be occulted by the Moon during a total lunar eclise, over the eastern Pacific and South America.[4]: 161 

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "NGC 6629 - Planetary Nebula in Sagittarius". TheSkyLive. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Planetary Nebula NGC 6629". Deep Sky Corner. 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  3. ^ "The long goodbye of a dying star – Astronomy Now".
  4. ^ Meeus, Jan (2002). "Occultations of deep-sky objects during a total lunar eclipse". More Mathematical Astronomy Morsels (PDF). pp. 157–162. ISBN 0943396743. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2025-02-21.

Bibliography

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Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.

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