| Type: | Planetary |
| NGC 6742 | |
| Epoch: | J2000 |
| Dec: | +48° 27 55 |
| Ra: | 18h 59m 20s |
| Absmag V: | 13.4 |
| Constellation: | Draco |
| Names: | Abell 50 |
NGC 6742 (also known as Abell 50) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Draco.[1] NGC 6742 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel in 1788. Very few studies have been carried out on NGC 6742 and the identification of the central star of the nebula by the Kepler Space Telescope is uncertain.[2]
Two distances are indicated in the SIMBAD astronomical database: 5,150 ± 1,030 kpc (~16,800 ly) and approximately 5,091 pc (~16,600 ly).[3] Its apparent size is 0.553. No data is available for its speed.
NGC 6742 has a magnitude of 13.4, meaning that its surface brightness is high enough to be seen with a 25 cm diameter telescope. It appears as a round disk measuring 30"6.