Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Explanation:
The first hint of what will become of our Sun [ http://www.nineplan…] was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org…] was compiling a list of "annoying" diffuse objects not to be confused with "interesting" comets. The 27th object on Messier's list [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], now known as M27 [ http://www.seds.org…] or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], the type of nebula our Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] will produce when nuclear fusion [ http://fusedweb.ppp…] stops in its core. M27 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is one of the brightest planetary nebulae [ http://www.seds.org…] on the sky, and can be seen in the constellation [ http://www.att.virt…] Vulpecula [ http://www.astronom…] with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, shown above [ http://www.noao.edu…] in representative colors. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 [ http://www.seds.org…] was well beyond 18th century science. Even today, many things remain mysterious about bipolar planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] like M27, including the physical mechanism that expels a low-mass star's gaseous outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray [ http://www.treasure…] hot white dwarf [ http://www.sciencen…].
Credit and Copyright:
//www.noao.edu/scope /copyright.html">Cop yright: Michael Pierce [ http://www.astro.in…] (Indiana U. [ http://www.astro.in…]) et al., WIYN [ http://www.noao.edu…], AURA [ http://www.aura-ast…], NOAO [ http://www.noao.edu/], NSF [ http://www.nsf.gov/]
keyword:
planetary nebula
keyword:
M27
facet_when:
18th century
facet_when:
1764
facet_where:
Indiana
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Aura
facet_what:
COMETS
facet_what:
Vulpecula
facet_what:
nebula
facet_when_year:
1764
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap010306

M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
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