Planetary nebula M27 is seen in a picture highlighted by NASA on Tuesday (30). Often known as the Dumbbell Nebula, it’s positioned a few thousand light-years away from us and is taken into account one of many brightest planetary nebulae.

This planetary nebula is positioned within the path of the constellation of Vulpecula The Fox. It consists of an previous star nearing the tip of its life that has expelled its outer layers.

Within the picture, shades of pink, inexperienced, and blue point out sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen being launched by the star, respectively. The picture additionally reveals particulars of its construction, divided into two poles. Such a planetary nebula is a thriller to astronomers.

The Dumbbell Nebula is dwelling to quite a few knots of gasoline and mud, constructions that come up when stellar winds usually are not robust sufficient to push giant quantities of matter and disperse solely small particles. They create a form of bulge behind the nodes, which change their look because the nebula expands.

Be taught extra about planetary nebulae

Planetary nebulae are areas of gasoline and mud ejected from medium-mass stars such because the Solar. So, regardless of the identify, they don’t seem to be related to planets—the confusion comes from their observations made a couple of centuries in the past, when astronomers thought they had been seeing gaseous planets.

The planetary nebula M27, noticed by French astronomer Charles Messier, was the primary such object to be found. It has a magnitude of seven.5 and could be seen with small telescopes.

They’re comparatively short-lived phenomena (in astronomical phrases), lasting no various tens of 1000’s of years. Nevertheless, they assist scatter the weather fashioned by the star into area.

supply: APOD