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Preplanetary nebula · evidence and sources

Red Rectangle

Also known as HD 44179, Red Rectangle Nebula.

Catalog Position basis, the same label the app shows on the selection card.

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Every aspect, with its origin

One record per aspect. The origin says what kind of thing each value is; the source says where it came from; the limit says what it cannot tell you.

ObservedCatalogComputedReconstructedIllustrativeUndocumented
Position Catalog

Image-field position and adopted distance

Red Rectangle image-field center is placed at J2000 RA 6.3 h, Dec -10.6° in Monoceros, at an adopted distance of 2,300 light-years.

EpochJ2000
LimitImage north is 120 degrees right of vertical. Line-of-sight thickness is illustrative.
Physical data Catalog

Image field at the adopted distance

Red Rectangle (preplanetary nebula; central source Red Rectangle, illuminating stellar system): projected footprint at the adopted distance 0.3 × 0.3 light-years; outer radius used for arrival 0.2 light-years.

Methodmeasured sky-plane structure with constrained display depth
Appearance Reconstructed

Sky-plane structure with a display depth

A small archival Hubble field with finite resolution. The displayed shape is projected dust-scattered light, not a solid rectangle. Projected structure follows the credited observation at its published angular scale and an approximate adopted distance. Shallow depth is illustrative, not measured tomography. The source palette is preserved; brightness is adjusted for the navigable view.

Methodmeasured sky-plane structure with constrained display depth
LimitEmission points and knots are deterministic presentation samples, not individually catalogued gas parcels.

What is not measured

  • Appearance: a reconstruction from measurements, not a direct observation. Sky-plane structure with a display depth. Emission points and knots are deterministic presentation samples, not individually catalogued gas parcels.

Sources cited

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