The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)

Code: M27, NGC 6853
Type: Planetary Nebula
Constellation: Vixen Minor
Distance from the Sun: 1,250 light-years

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, illustrates the final stages in the life of a Sun-like star. When its core can no longer sustain fusion reactions, the star expels its outer layers, forming an expanding bubble of gas around a burning core: a white dwarf.

Fun fact: Despite its name, a planetary nebula has nothing to do with a planet.
The term originates from the 18th century, when these round, diffuse objects reminded early observers of the silhouette of a small planetary disk in their telescopes...