Messier 27 or commonly called the Dumbbell Nebula or Apple Core nebula due to its appearance visually through a telescope. It is a planetary nebula which is a misnomer as it has nothing to do with planets. It is formed as a star enters it's last stages of its life as the outer layers swell out and before they dissipate out into space. The surrounding layers are ionized by the remaining hot core. The remains of the star eventually contract down into a white dwarf to slowly cool over the eons. The central white dwarf is one of the largest known white dwarfs. The estimated age of the nebula is around 14,600 years.