NGC 281

The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

NGC 281 is a nebula in Elysian Shore. It is a cosmic cloud of gas in the Cassiopeia constellation next to the bright star Shedar. The nebula was discovered by the pioneering astrophotographer E.E. Barnard in 1883.

It is informally called the Pacman nebula, because its shape resembles the 1980s arcade game character.