In 1764, French astronome CharlesMessier sighted this gorgeouscosmic cloud whic hedescribed as an oval nebula without stars Cataloged as M27,it is now popularly known as th DumbbellNebula, not for its substandard academic performance butfor the elongated shape, like a bar with weights on each end, whic firstcaught Messier's eye. This deep image of the bright planetarynebula does reveal the Dumbell's central star though, andan array of foreground and background starstoward the sly constellatio Vulpecula.The picture i a compositethat includes 8 hours ofexposure through a filter designed to record only the lightof hydrogen atoms, tracing the intricate details ofthe nebula's faint outer halowhich spans light-years.Thought to be an example of th fate awaiting our ownSun 5 billion years hence, the Dumbbell Nebula isabout 1,200 light-years away.
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