Little Dumbbell Nebula (WFC3 Image)
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.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
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https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/hubble-34th-littledumbell-stsci-01htddqw1h508m7gww4eyfmh3h/
Image CreditNASA, ESA, STScI
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