Object Analysis

The Little Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 76), also known as the Cork Nebula or Barbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780. It is one of the faintest and hardest-to-see objects in Messier's list.

M76 derives its common name from its resemblance to the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) in Vulpecula. It appears as two lobes of gas fading into a faint halo. The central star is a magnitude 16.6 white dwarf with a surface temperature of roughly 60,000 K.

The nebula is estimated to be about 2,500 light-years away. Its bipolar structure is likely caused by a torus (doughnut shape) of dense gas around the central star's equator, which funnels the ejected material out the poles.