Hubble's Full WFPC2 Image of Dumbbell Nebula
An aging star's last hurrah is creating a flurry of glowing knots of gas that appear to be streaking through space in this close-up image of the Dumbbell Nebula, taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The Dumbbell, a nearby planetary nebula residing more than 1,200 light-years away, is the result of an old star that has shed its outer layers in a glowing display of color. The nebula, also known as Messier 27 (M27), was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. French astronomer Charles Messier spotted it in 1764.
Credit:
About the Image
NASA press release
NASA caption
NASA caption
| Id: | opo0306d |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 10 February 2003, 15:00 |
| Size: | 1478 x 1504 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Dumbbell Nebula, Messier 27, NGC 6853 |
| Type: | • Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Planetary • Nebulae Images/Videos |
| Distance: | 1200 light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical OIII |
502 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical V |
547 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical H-alpha |
656 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical NII |
658 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Optical SII |
673 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
