Nebula at the right foot of Andromeda [ http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Andromeda_( constellation) ] ... " begins the description for the 76th object in Charles Messier's 18th century Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters [
http://www.messierm…]. In fact, M76 is [
http://www.seds.org…] one of the fainter objects on the Messier list and is also known by the popular name of the "Little Dumbbell Nebula". Like its brighter namesake M27 [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] (the Dumbbell Nebula), M76 is recognized as a planetary nebula [
http://www.noao.edu…] - a gaseous shroud cast off by a dying sunlike star [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The nebula itself is thought to be shaped more like a donut, while its box-like appearance [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is due to our nearly edge-on view. Gas expanding more rapidly away from the donut hole produces the faint loops of far flung material. The nebula's dying star can be picked out in this sharp color image [
http://www.photomee…planetary/061017m76a _d.htm ] as the bottom, blue-tinted member of the double star near the center of the box-like shape. Distance estimates place M76 about 3 to 5 thousand light-years away, making the nebula over a light-year [
http://starchild.gs…question19.html ] in diameter.
Explanation
Nebula at the right foot of Andromeda [ http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Andromeda_( constellation) ] ... " begins the description for the 76th object in Charles Messier's 18th century Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters [
http://www.messierm…]. In fact, M76 is [
http://www.seds.org…] one of the fainter objects on the Messier list and is also known by the popular name of the "Little Dumbbell Nebula". Like its brighter namesake M27 [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] (the Dumbbell Nebula), M76 is recognized as a planetary nebula [
http://www.noao.edu…] - a gaseous shroud cast off by a dying sunlike star [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The nebula itself is thought to be shaped more like a donut, while its box-like appearance [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is due to our nearly edge-on view. Gas expanding more rapidly away from the donut hole produces the faint loops of far flung material. The nebula's dying star can be picked out in this sharp color image [
http://www.photomee…planetary/061017m76a _d.htm ] as the bottom, blue-tinted member of the double star near the center of the box-like shape. Distance estimates place M76 about 3 to 5 thousand light-years away, making the nebula over a light-year [
http://starchild.gs…question19.html ] in diameter.
Explanation
