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NASA is celebrating the Hubble Space 
Telescope’s 34th birthday with this  

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elegant image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula,

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also known as Messier 76, or just M76 for short.

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This planetary nebula, an expanding shell 
of gas around an aging star,

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was created when a dying star cast off 
its outer layers.

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It’s located 3,400 light-years away

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 in the constellation Perseus.

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M76 is composed of a ring, seen edge-on as the

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central bar structure, and two lobes on either 
opening of the ring.

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Before the star burned out, it ejected the ring of gas and dust. 

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The ring was likely sculpted by a binary companion star,  

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which may eventually have been 
consumed by the primary star. 

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The primary star is collapsing to form 
a white dwarf.

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It is one of the hottest stellar remnants known at a scorching

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250,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 24 times our Sun’s surface temperature.

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The sizzling white dwarf is visible 
as a pinpoint in the center of the nebula. 

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Pinched off by the disk, two lobes of hot 
gas are escaping from the top and bottom  

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of the “belt,” along the star’s rotation axis 
that is perpendicular to the disk.

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These lobes are being propelled by the hurricane-like

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outflow of material from the dying star,

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tearing across space at 2 million miles per hour.

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This torrential “stellar wind” is plowing into

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cooler, slower-moving gas that was ejected at an

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earlier stage in the star’s life, when it was a red giant.

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Ferocious ultraviolet radiation from

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the super-hot star is causing the gasses to glow.

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Because Hubble orbits above Earth’s 
atmosphere, it can give us these clear  

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views of the many wonders in our universe.

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For 34 years, the Hubble Space Telescope

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has changed the way we think of space and our 
place in the cosmos.

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Hubble has refined our understanding of the age of the universe

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and its rate of expansion. Its deep field images  

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have made it possible for us to see across 
billions of light-years, revealing ancient,  

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adolescent galaxies that we can compare with our 
own Milky Way.

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Closer to home, Hubble is revealing

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vibrant activity in our solar system

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and in other star and planetary systems across the galaxy. 

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Hubble remains in good health and is expected to

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continue its exploration of the universe for years

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to come, with unique capabilities that complement

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other telescopes like Webb.

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Five astronaut servicing missions,

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along with an expert technical 
team on the ground,

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have kept the telescope at the peak of its scientific capabilities.

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You can find out more about the Hubble Space Telescope  

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 at our website: nasa.gov/hubble 
and on social media @NASAHubble.

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[ Slow zoom out of image. Bright central core surrounded by two lobes on either end, which are made of light purples and blues blended together. ]

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Follow us on social media @NASAHubble