🔭 M27 — Dumbbell Nebula

Planetary nebula in Vulpecula

M27, Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, with an apparent magnitude of about 7.4, roughly 1.334 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M27
Common name	Dumbbell Nebula
Object type	Planetary nebula
Constellation	Vulpecula
NGC / IC	NGC 6853
Apparent magnitude	7.4
Distance (approx.)	1.334 thousand light-years

What a planetary nebula is

Not a planet at all: the glowing shell of gas a sun-like star sheds at the end of its life, its exposed hot core lighting the cast-off envelope blue-green.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.