One of 'easiest-to-observe nebulas' will be visible in August: Where, how to see it
Stargazers have plenty of reasons to look up throughout August – a month marked by meteor showers, planetary conjunctions and even a visible nebula.
Yes, a formation known as the "dumbbell nebula" – nicknamed because it looks like, well, a dumbbell – should be easy to spot throughout the month, NASA said in an August skywatching guide.
But unlike other cosmic phenomena that will appear in August, the "dumbbell nebula" unfortunately won't be visible to the naked eye. The good news? You still don't need any especially advanced equipment to see it.
Here's what to know about the "dumbbell nebula" and how to see it in the August skies.
What is a nebula?
A nebula, such as the two that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory analyzed earlier in 2025, is a luminescent giant cloud of dust and gas in space.
A nebula could be the result of an explosion of a dying star such as a supernova, which throws out gas and dust, according to NASA. Other nebulae are regions where new stars are beginning to form, such as the Cat's Paw nebula that the James Webb Space Telescope recently studied in unprecedented detail.
What is the 'dumbbell nebula?'
The "dumbbell nebula," also known as Messier 27, is what astronomers refer to as a planetary nebula due to its round, planet-like appearance when viewed through a telescope, according to NASA.
Spotted in 1764 by French astronomer Charles Messier, the "dumbbell nebula" is the first planetary nebula ever discovered. It's located 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.
The result of an aging star that shed its outer layers to create a colorful glow, the "dumbbell nebula" is composed of knots of gas and dust – some of which resemble fingers pointing at the central star.
The formation is also enormous.
Some of the isolated clouds of gas and dust are 10.5 billion to 34.7 billion miles wide – larger than the distance from the sun to Pluto. Each cloud contains as much mass as three Earths, according to NASA.
When, where will 'dumbbell nebula' be visible in August?
The "dumbbell nebula" should be visible throughout August and beyond high in the sky anywhere in the United States.
The "dumbbell nebula" appears within a pattern of stars known as the Summer Triangle, which is in prime position in August for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.
Fortunately for stargazers, the formation is considered to be "one of the easiest-to-observe nebulas in the sky," Chelsea Gohd of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a video with August skywatching tips.
How to see 'dumbbell nebula'
Stargazers will need binoculars or a small telescope to observe the "dumbbell nebula," which can be found high overhead in the first half of each night in the Summer Triangle. Observers will be able to spot it a third of the way between bright stars Altair and Deneb.
The nebula will appear as a small, faint patch of light about a quarter of the width of a full moon.
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