IC 418

{{Short description|Planetary nebula in the constellation Lepus}}

{{Infobox planetary nebula

| image = 250px

| name = IC 418

| type = Planetary

| epoch = J2000

| ra = {{RA|05|27|28.2037}}{{cite simbad

| title=IC 418

| access-date=2006-12-22}}

| dec = {{DEC|-12|41|50.265}}

| dist_ly = 3.6 ± 1.0 kly (1100 ± 300 pc){{cite journal

| title=Expansion Parallax of the Planetary Nebula IC 418

| volume=138

| pages=46–49

| journal=The Astronomical Journal

| bibcode=2009AJ....138...46G

| arxiv=0905.0021

| doi=10.1088/0004-6256/138/1/46

| year=2009

| last1=Guzmán

| first1=Lizette

| last2=Loinard

| first2=Laurent

| last3=Gómez

| first3=Yolanda

| last4=Morisset

| first4=Christophe

| issue=1

| s2cid=17714722

}}

| appmag_v = 9.6

| size_v = 3.5″x5.5"/11"x14"/150"/220"x250"{{cite journal

| first=G. | last=Ramos-Larios

|display-authors=etal

| title=Discovery of multiple shells around the planetary nebula IC 418

| journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

| date=2012 | volume=423

| issue=4 | pages=3753–3760

| bibcode=2012MNRAS.423.3753R

| doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21165.x | doi-access=free

|arxiv = 1204.5816| s2cid=118442646

}}

| constellation = Lepus

| radius_ly = 0.15

| absmag_v = -

| notes = -

| names = Spirograph Nebula

|caption=A false color image of IC 418 (the spirograph nebula).}}

IC 418, also known as the Spirograph Nebula, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Lepus about 3,600 ly away from Earth. It spans 0.3 light-years across. The central star of the planetary nebula, HD 35914, is an O-type star with a spectral type of O7fp.{{cite journal |last1=González-Santamaría |first1=I. |last2=Manteiga |first2=M. |last3=Manchado |first3=A. |last4=Ulla |first4=A. |last5=Dafonte |first5=C. |last6=López Varela |first6=P. |year=2021 |title=Planetary nebulae in Gaia EDR3: Central star identification, properties, and binarity |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=656 |pages=A51 |arxiv=2109.12114 |bibcode=2021A&A...656A..51G |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202141916 |s2cid=237940344}} The nebula formed a few thousand years ago during the star's last stages of its red giant phase. Material from the star's outer layers was ejected from the star into the surrounding space. The nebula's glow is caused by the central star's ultraviolet radiation interacting with the gas.{{Cite web |title=Spirograph Nebula (IC 418) |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Extreme_space/Spirograph_Nebula_IC_418 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}

The nebula gets its colors from the different chemical elements inside the nebula. The red color is nitrogen (the coldest gas in the nebula), the green is hydrogen and the traces of blue are the ionized oxygen gas (the hottest gas in the nebula due to its proximity to the central star).{{Cite web |title=Hubble's Spirograph - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubbles-spirograph/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=science.nasa.gov |language=en}}