The green planetary nebula (IC 1295)

IC 1295 is a small and green planetary nebula of low magnitude (12.7). It is composed of multiple envelopes of gas, surrounding a low luminosity star (white dwarf) at the end of its life. It is still possible to distinguish in the heart of this nebula the remains of the core of this star, appearing as a white-blue color dot. This white dwarf, comparable in size to the Earth, is the remnant of a dead star, its major part having escaped into space to form this nebula.

The green color of the nebula corresponds to the oxygen atoms excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the white dwarf and can be highlighted by using an OIII filter.

In the neighborhood of this nebula, but much more distant (about 26,400 light-years), is the globular cluster NGC 6722. This cluster is about 12 billion years old and has a diameter of about 70 to 75 light years, containing 1 million stars. The cluster is currently dissolving, due to repeated interactions with the Milky Way disk. It is estimated that it has lost about 99% of its initial mass.

In 2021, the pulsar PSR J1853-0842A was detected within NGC 6712, having a rotation period of 2.15 milliseconds.