Observer's guide
About Cat's Eye Nebula
Cat's Eye Nebula (C6) is catalogued as a planetary nebula in Draco. Its J2000 position is RA 17:58:34, Dec +66:38:00, corresponding to 269.6392 degrees RA and 66.633 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 3,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 0.62 by 0.54 arcminutes.
Observing tips
StarWatchr rates this as a hard target at magnitude 8.1. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around June. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 75.4 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
A small telescope under reasonably dark skies is a good starting point; use the live altitude chart to choose its highest point.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is PN. A published radial velocity value is -65.7 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 1202 bibliographic references.
At roughly 0.6 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 0.62 by 0.54 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.
