description Sharpless 2-188 Overview
Sharpless 2-188 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia, formed from material expelled by an evolved star. It has a strongly asymmetric appearance, with a bright curved arc on one side and much fainter material extending in the opposite direction. This structure is understood as the result of the nebula and its central star moving through surrounding interstellar gas, producing a bow-shock-like interaction.
help Sharpless 2-188 FAQ
What is Sharpless 2-188?
It is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia, formed from material expelled by an evolved dying star. It is catalogued in the Sharpless catalogue of emission regions published by astronomer Stewart Sharpless in 1959.
Why does Sharpless 2-188 look one-sided?
It shows a bright curved arc on one side and much fainter material trailing on the other. Modeling studies in the mid-2000s interpreted this asymmetry as the result of the nebula's central star moving rapidly through the surrounding interstellar medium, compressing gas into the bright leading arc.
Can you see Sharpless 2-188 with a backyard telescope?
It is a very challenging visual target — the bright arc generally requires a large amateur telescope and narrowband filters such as OIII to glimpse. The faint trailing side is usually detectable only in long-exposure images.
What creates a planetary nebula like Sharpless 2-188?
A planetary nebula forms when an aging low- to intermediate-mass star sheds its outer layers into space, leaving the exposed core to ionize the ejected gas. Sh2-188's unusual structure shows how motion through interstellar gas can reshape the shell over thousands of years.
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