Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M27: The Dumbbell Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 18, 1998 is “M27: The Dumbbell Nebula,” an image. Credit details are listed on the original page. The original explanation runs about 146 words.

M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Credit: see the original page Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The first hint of what will become of our Sun was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of “annoying” diffuse objects not to be confused with “interesting” comets.”

— APOD editors, February 18, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 18, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
See the original page
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 146 words

All of February 1998 → · 1998 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The SunNebulaeComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 18 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.