Mz 3

The Ant Nebula is a young planetary nebula. Other names for the ants nebulae are Menzel 3 ( Abbr: Mz 3). The name Ant Nebula comes from its appearance, because it is similar to the thorax of an ant.

The Ant Nebula spreads radially at a speed of about 50 km / s. Often he is compared because of their similar origins with the Butterfly Nebula. He shows no trace of molecular hydrogen ejections.

The Ant Nebula was discovered in 1922 by Donald Menzel in photographs of the Bruce 24 -inch telescope at the outer station of the Harvard College Observatory in Arequipa in Peru