Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 27, 2011

M27: The Dumbbell Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 27, 2011 is “M27: The Dumbbell Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Snyder ( Bill Snyder Photography )). The original explanation runs about 175 words.

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 diffuse objects not to be confused with comets.”

— APOD editors, December 27, 2011

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 27, 2011
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Snyder ( Bill Snyder Photography )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 175 words

All of December 2011 → · 2011 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Sun Nebulae Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 27 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 27, 2011 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2011-december-27-m27-the-dumbbell-nebula

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.