Dumbbell Nebula. /Courtesy of Christopher Stobie

In the 18th century, French astronomer Charles Messier cataloged objects that were not comets while searching for comets with a telescope. The Dumbbell Nebula, shown in the picture, is the 27th object on this list, designated as M27. The Dumbbell Nebula is one of the brightest planetary nebulae and is located in the constellation Vulpecula. It emits colors released by helium (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue). While the Dumbbell Nebula appears round and planet-like when viewed through a small telescope, earning it the name "planetary nebula," it is not actually a planet. It is an example of a gas ejected nebula formed as a star similar to the Sun exhausts its nuclear fuel, with the outer layers of the star expelled into space. The Dumbbell Nebula is located about 1,200 light-years away from Earth in the direction of Vulpecula (a light-year is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers).