NGC 6629

NGC 6629 is a planetary nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius, located above the "Teapot". It is located approximately 2.0 kpc from the Sun. 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. NGC 6629 was discovered by William Herschel in 1868.
On June 26, 2029, the planetary nebula will be occulted by the Moon during a total lunar eclipse, over the eastern Pacific and South America.