11/27/2025
Snuck in about 2 hours of the night sky last night before the fog started rolling in! This is the Dumbell Nebula!
It is also known as the Apple Core Nebula (Messier 27, and NGC 6853). It can be found in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light-years from Earth.
The nebula's shape is formed by the outer layers of a dying star that has been expelled into space, creating a glowing shell of gas. The distinctive shape is due to the way the gas was ejected and how it is viewed from Earth.
Viewing the nebula is watching an aging star's last hurrah as it slowly dies, creating a flurry of glowing knots of gas.
It was the first such planetary nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764.
Astronomer John Herschel described the nebula as having a central mass that could be compared to a "dumb-bell," and he also noted its resemblance to an hourglass. Hence the name Dumbell Nebula.
Scientists estimate that our Sun is a little less than halfway through its lifetime and will last another 5 billion years or so before it too becomes a white dwarf.
