Hubble image archive
Little Dumbbell Nebula (WFC3 Image)
In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary 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...
- Date
- Apr 23, 2024
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2024-013-01htddbyv8rcs55y6g1k6fthr0
In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary 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.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, STScI
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Little Dumbbell Nebula, M76 |
| Object Description | Planetary Nebula |
| R.A. Position | 01:42:12 |
| Dec. Position | +51:34:56 |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 3,400 light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is about 5 arcminutes across (about 5 light-years) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from program (C. Britt). Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) |
| Instrument | WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | 21 Jan - 23 Jan 2024 |
| Filters | F475W, F502N, F656N, F658N, F814W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample various wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Cyan= F475W, Blue= F502N, Green= F656N, Red= F658N, Orange= F814W |
Downloads
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov