The view in a 6" at 50x. North is down, East is to
the right.
IC 5217 (PN G100.6-05.4, PK 100-5.1) is an often overlooked planetary nebula in Aquarius. This tiny 12.6 magnitude object subtends a mere 6". A six inch will show the nebula as a faint star that looks slightly non-stellar. Look for a greenish hue. Larger apertures and high magnifications are required for a good view.
In "Summertime Planetaries Beyond the NGC" (August 1999, Sky & Telescope) Jay McNeil said of IC 5217, "On a night of particularly steady seeing, I pumped up the power to 855x and saw a bright inner disk with an obvious north-south elongation."
Be sure to note the nearby star chain (to the lower left of the nebula in the chart below).
The view in a 6" at 50x. North is down, East is to
the right.
