In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers took a snapshot of the Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, or M76, located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus. The name ‘Little Dumbbell’ comes from its shape that is a two-lobed structure of colorful, mottled, glowing gases resembling a balloon that’s been pinched around a middle waist. Like an inflating balloon, the lobes are expanding into space from a dying star seen as a white dot in the center. Blistering ultraviolet radiation from the super-hot star is causing the gases to glow. The red color is from nitrogen, and blue is from oxygen.
Related posts
-
NASA delays launch of SPHEREx and PUNCH missions to March 6
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions will need to wait a little longer before heading to space.... -
SpaceX calls off Starship Flight 8 launch test due to rocket issues (video)
The next Starship megarocket to fly is stuck on Earth for a little while longer. SpaceX... -
Sunrise on the moon! Private Blue Ghost lander captures amazing shot after historic lunar touchdown (photo)
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has captured a gorgeous shot of sunrise on the moon as...