NGC 2899

NGC 2899 is a planetary nebula in the southern constellation of Vela. It was discovered by English astronomer John Herschel on February 27, 1835. This nebula can be viewed with a moderate-sized amateur telescope, but requires a larger telescope to resolve details. NGC 2899 is located at a distance of 3,350 ± 670 light-years (1,026 ± 205 pc) from the Sun and 25,894 ± 3 light-years (7,939 ± 1 pc) from the Galactic Center.

This nebula has an overall kidney shape that is elongated along an axis from WNW to ESE. The overall topology is bipolar with a significant equatorial structure. This shape is believed to result from a binary star system. The mean expansion rate is 43 to 56 km/s, with high velocity structures expanding at 110 to 130 km/s. The core mass of the central star is estimated as ~1.2 M☉.