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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 December 30
    A starfield is shown with a frame dominated by a gaseous nebula. The
    nebula, filled with structure, appears orange in the center but blue
       around the edges. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                          M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
                Image Credit & Copyright: Christopher Stobie

   Explanation: Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The
   first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At
   that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not
   to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now
   known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the
   brightest planetary nebulas on the sky and visible with binoculars
   toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula). It takes light about
   1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by
   sulfur (red), hydrogen (green) and oxygen (blue). We now know that in
   about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer gases into a
   planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will become an
   X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and significance
   of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even today, many
   things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including how their
   intricate shapes are created.

        APOD Year in Review: Night Sky Network Presentation for 2024
                    Tomorrow's picture: dark and twisted
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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