NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

M27: Not A Comet

While searching the skies above 18th century France for comets, astronomer Charles Messier [ http://www.seds.org…] diligently recorded this object as number 27 on his list of things which are definitely not comets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. So what is it? Well, 20th century astronomers would classify it as a Planetary Nebula [ http://www.seds.org…] ... but it's not a planet either, even though it may appear round [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and planet-like in a small telescope. Messier 27 (M27) is now known to be an excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula [ http://www.astro.wa…] created as a sun-like star runs out [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space, with a visible glow generated by atoms excited by the dying star's intense but invisible ultraviolet light [ http://imagine.gsfc…emspectrum.html ]. Known by the popular name of the Dumbbell Nebula [ http://www.seds.org…], the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula [ http://www.astro.wi…constellations/Vulpe cula.html ]. This gorgeous synthetic color picture of M27 [ http://www.eso.org/…phot-38-98.html ] was produced during testing of one of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescopes [ http://www.eso.org/…pr-06-99.html ].

FORS Team [ http://www.eso.org/…], 8.2-meter VLT [ http://www.eso.org/…], ESO [ http://www.eso.org/]

planetary nebula

dumbbell nebula

m27

20th century

18th century

France

Washington

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Washington, D.C.

ESO

Sun

VLT

COMETS

Vulpecula

comet

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap020302