NGC 3242

NGC 3242 (other designations - PK 261 + 32.1 , ESO 568-PN5 ), also known as the Ghost of Jupiter, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Hydra .

NGC 3242
planetary nebula
Research history
Discoverer	William Herschel
opening date	February 7, 1785
Designations	NGC 3242 , PK 261 + 32.1 , ESO 568-PN5
Observational data ( Age J2000.0 )
Right ascension
Declination
Visible magnitude (V)	7.7
Photographic magnitude (V)	8.6
Visible Dimensions (V)	1,07 '
Constellation	Hydra

William Herschel discovered this planetary nebula on February 7, 1785 and cataloged as H IV.27 . John Herschel observed it in the 1830s on the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa , numbered it as h 3248 , and included it in the General Catalog in 1864 as GC 2102 . In 1888, J. Dreyer gave her the number NGC 3242 in the New General Catalog .

The nebula is easy to observe with amateur telescopes and looks bluish-green for most observers. Large telescopes can also see the outer halo.