M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
The first hint of what
will become of our Sun was
discovered inadvertently in 1764.
At that time, Charles
Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused
with comets.
The 27th object on Messier's list,
now known as M27 or
the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula,
the type of nebula our Sun will
produce when nuclear fusion stops
in its core.
M27 is one of the
brightest planetary
nebulae on the sky, and can be seen toward the constellation of
the Fox (Vulpecula) with
binoculars.
It takes light about
1000 years to reach us from M27, shown above in
colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. Understanding the physics
and significance of M27 was
well beyond 18th century science.
Even today, many things
remain mysterious about bipolar
planetary nebula like M27, including the physical mechanism that
expels a low-mass star's gaseous outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray hot white
dwarf.
Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Snyder (Bill Snyder Photography)
