M2-9 is a bipolar nebula (a gas cloud with symmetrical lobes) 4,200 light-years away that has a binary stellar system in its core. Both stars, a red giant and a white dwarf, are hidden inside the disk. The dust originates from the red giant, which is 27,000° Fahrenheit (15,000° Celsius) and 2,500 times more luminous than the Sun.