Kronberger 61
Encyclopedia
Kronberger 61 also known as the "soccer ball" is a Nebula
discovered by an amateur Astronomer
in January, 2011, with the newer images having being taken by the Gemini Observatory
. The nebula is named for Austrian Mattias Kronberger, who is a member of the amateur group Deep Sky Hunters. They discovered the nebula while searching near the northern constellation of Cygnus
. It is hoped that the discovery will help resolve a decades old debate, which is, are stellar companions key to the formation and structure of planetary nebulae? The nebula is within a relatively small area which is currently being monitored by NASA’s Kepler planet finding mission and the light of the nebula is primarily due to the emissions from twice-ionized oxygen.
Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
discovered by an amateur Astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
in January, 2011, with the newer images having being taken by the Gemini Observatory
Gemini Observatory
The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two telescopes at sites in Hawai‘i and Chile. Together, the twin Gemini telescopes provide almost complete coverage of both the northern and southern skies...
. The nebula is named for Austrian Mattias Kronberger, who is a member of the amateur group Deep Sky Hunters. They discovered the nebula while searching near the northern constellation of Cygnus
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
. It is hoped that the discovery will help resolve a decades old debate, which is, are stellar companions key to the formation and structure of planetary nebulae? The nebula is within a relatively small area which is currently being monitored by NASA’s Kepler planet finding mission and the light of the nebula is primarily due to the emissions from twice-ionized oxygen.