NASA Reveals ‘Cosmic Dumbbell’: New Image Shows Dying Star’s Glowing Gas Nebula with Possible Evidence of Cannibalism

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter to explore the wonders of space with updates on fascinating discoveries and scientific advancements. NASA recently released a stunning new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing the glowing gas expelled from a dying star that resembles a “cosmic dumbbell.” The portrait features Messier 76 or M76, also known as the Little Dumbbell Nebula. Located approximately 3,400 light-years away in the Perseus constellation, this expanding shell of gases was ejected by a dying red giant star. Known as a planetary nebula due to its initial resemblance to disks from which planets form, it usually has a rounded structure but can take on unique shapes like that seen in the Little Dumbbell Nebula’s ring and lobes configuration. Discovered in 1780 by Pierre Méchain, this photogenic nebula has been favored among both professional and amateur astronomers for its distinct shape since it was first studied closely over a century ago. Researchers believe that the Little Dumbbell Nebula may provide evidence of cosmic cannibalism in which an alleged companion star disappeared during collapsing phases due to material releases from the red giant. This is evident by how this gas and dust ring formed a thick disk shaped possibly by said companion before its disappearance, leaving behind blazingly hot white dwarf stars at their centers that are 24 times more scorching than our sun’s surface temperature of around 10,753 degrees Fahrenheit (6,029 Celsius). The red giant star transformed into this ultra-dense and dense object following its collapse. While the two lobes in Hubble’s image represent hot gas escaping from dying stars propelled by hurricane-like forces as material releases from them across space at 2 million miles per hour, ultraviolet radiation causes gases to glow different colors representing various elements such as red for nitrogen and blue for oxygen. The Little Dumbbell Nebula is expected to vanish entirely within the next 15,000 years due to its continuous expansion and growing dimness. Hubble has observed over 34 years approximately 53,000 astronomical objects with a total of around 1.6 million observations made so far by scientists worldwide who rely on this telescope’s database for new discoveries in supernovas, distant galaxies, exoplanets and other celestial anomalies. Hubble is an indispensable space-based astronomical research asset complemented well by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope that collectively gather observations across different wavelengths of light for a more profound understanding of the universe’s mysteries around these phenomena and many others as they uncover answers.