Heinze 2-51
PK 288 -5.1


3 minutes exposure, Meade 416XT CCD.
8" f/6 newtonian at prime focus.

Henize 2-51 is a small and fairly faint planetary nebula in Carina. It was very faintly visible in a 12" telescope, and needed an OIII filter to distinguish it from the surrounding stars. A line of 8th magnitude stars point down to the nebula, making it fairly easy to locate.