The Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, M76, NGC 650/651, the Cork Nebula, and the Barbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula located 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. This popular target for telescopes in the summer in the Northern Hemisphere has recently been captured in a new image shared on April 23, 2024.
The image comes from the newest data stored at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, totaling 184 terabytes of information. Despite its name, this nebula is not made up of planet remains but instead an expanding shell of gas and dust ejected from a red giant star that collapsed into a dense and hot white dwarf star. This white dwarf star is one of the hottest remnants known to exist today with temperatures reaching up to 216,000 degrees Fahrenheit (120,000 degrees Celsius).
This new image reveals the Little Dumbbell Nebula as two lobes of glowing gas and dust on either side of a central bar. Scientists believe that these rings were caused by a second star that was consumed by the central white dwarf star. The rest of this vibrant nebula consists of dust and gas ejected at incredible speeds of over 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) by its central star.
The luminescence effect of this nebula is due to ultraviolet radiation emitted by the star. Red colors showcase nitrogen while blue colors highlight oxygen present within it. The Little Dumbbell Nebula will continue to be visible for around 15,000 more years before all its gas dissipates into space.
