The Dumbbell Nebula

Although it may appear round and planet-like in a small telescope, Messier 27 (M27), the Dumbbell Nebula, is now known to be an excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core.

The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space, with a visible glow generated by atoms excited by the dying star's intense but invisible ultraviolet light. The Dumbbell Nebula, the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud, is over 2.5 light-years across and about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.

This impressive color composite highlights subtle jet features in the nebula. It was recorded with a robotic telescope sited in Hawaii using narrow band filters sensitive to emission from oxygen atoms (shown in green) and hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen emission is seen as red (H-alpha) and fainter bluish hues (H-beta).

Source:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/