Explanation:
These two nebulae are cataloged as M27 (left) and M76,
popularly known as
The Dumbbell and the
Little Dumbbell.
Not intended to indicate substandard mental prowess,
their popular names refer to their similar,
dumbbell or hourglass shapes.
Both are planetary nebulae, gaseous shrouds cast off by
dying sunlike
stars, and are similar in physical size, at a light-year or
so across.
In each panel, the images were made at the same scale, so the
apparent size difference is mostly because one is closer.
Distance estimates suggest 1,200 light-years for the Dumbbell
compared to 3,000 light-years or more for the Little Dumbell.
These deep, narrow-band, false-color
images show some remarkably
complex structures
in M27and M76,
highlighting emission from hydrogen,
nitrogen, and oxygen atoms within the cosmic clouds.
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