Barbell Nebula
M 76
Scientific overview
Barbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus. It shines at apparent magnitude 10.1 and spans about 1.12 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · M 76
| Distance | 4,684 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 1.525894 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Radial velocity | -23.6 ± 2 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 25.581899 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 51.575426 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2010ApJ...714.1096S · catalogued value · source value 1.436 kpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 1953GCRV..C......0W · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Perseus
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| h Persei ClusterNGC 869 | Open cluster | 3.7 | 14.4 |
| chi Persei ClusterNGC 884 | Open cluster | 3.8 | 10.5 |
| California NebulaNGC 1499 | Nebula | 5 | 160 |
| M 34M 34 · NGC 1039 | Open cluster | 5.2 | 22.5 |
| NGC 1545NGC 1545 | Open cluster | 6.2 | 4.2 |
| NGC 1528NGC 1528 | Open cluster | 6.4 | 9.6 |
| NGC 1444NGC 1444 | Open cluster | 6.6 | 3.6 |
| NGC 1342NGC 1342 | Open cluster | 6.7 | 6.3 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.