M 27, The Dumbbell Nebula

M 27 (NGC 6853), also known as The Dumbbell Nebula is a typical planetary nebula located in the constellation Vulpecula. The distance is rather uncertain, but is believed to be around 1,200 light-years. It was first described by the French astronomer and comet hunter Charles Messier who found it in 1764 and included it as no. 27 in his famous list of extended sky objects. The nebula consists of very rarified gas that has been ejected from the hot central star now in one of the last evolutionary stages. The gas atoms in the nebula are excited (heated) by the intense ultraviolet radiation from this star and emit strongly at specific wavelengths.