| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| Planetary nebula | |
 | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 09h 21m 25.38336s [1] |
| Declination | −58° 18′ 40.6167″ [1] |
| Distance | 7,270 ly (2,228 pc) [2] ly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.7 [3] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 12″ [4] 43.3″ × 35.6″ [5] |
| Constellation | Carina |
| Designations | ESO 126-8, PN G278.1-05.9, [6] Caldwell 90 |
NGC 2867 (also known as Caldwell 90) is an elliptical [5] Type II [7] planetary nebula in the southern constellation of Carina, just over a degree to the NNW of the star Iota Carinae. [8] It was discovered by John Herschel on April 1, 1834. Herschel initially thought he might have found a new planet, but on the following night he checked again and discovered it had not moved. [3] The nebula is located at a distance of 7,270 light-years from the Sun. [2]
The central star of the nebula is of spectral type WC3 [9] and is in the process of evolving into a white dwarf, having previously shed the atmosphere that created the surrounding nebula. It is now a hydrogen deficient GW Vir variable that is undergoing non-radial pulsations with an amplitude of less than 0.3 in magnitude. The star has an estimated temperature of 165+18
−20 kK with 5% of the radius of the Sun and is radiating 1,400 times the Sun's luminosity. [5]
The surrounding nebula is fairly typical but does shows carbon enrichment, which suggests the progenitor star was not massive but did pass through third dredge-up. The category of central star has excited a very high degree of ionization in the nebula. [7] The shape of the nebula appears somewhat elongated, which may indicate an interaction with the surrounding interstellar matter. The nebula halo may be a recombination of two separate halos, which could indicate a peculiar mass-loss history. [10]
