DescriptionThe Dumbbell Nebula is located around 1,200 lights years away in the constellation of Vulpecula and was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. It was the first first planetary nebula ever discovered. The name “Planetary nebula” is somewhat of a misnomer as they are not related to planets or their formation; they just have a planet-like appearance when viewed through smaller telescopes.
Based on the current rate of expansion of the nebula, an upper age limit of 14,600 years has been determined.
Planetary Nebula NucleusThe central star, which is transforming into a white dwarf, has been studied and estimated to be larger than most other known white dwarfs.
NebulaThe Dumbbell Nebula contains many knots of gas and dust. These dense knots seem to be a natural part of planetary nebula evolution and are similar to those found in other nearby planetary nebula. They form when the stellar winds are only powerful enough to blow away smaller particles but not the larger clumps of matter.
The central area of the Dumbbell Nebula has a pattern of dark and bright knots. The heads of the knots have bright cusps which are local areas of photo-ionization.
AcquisitionI have the component narrowband channels and a little more on the processing on my blog at
whitezoneastro.com.
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