M27

The Dumbbell Nebula in the Constellation Vulpecula

The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27, M 27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula (PN) in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light years.  The nebula has a diameter of roughly 2.5 light years.  Its expansion rate of 31 km/sec and current size indicate that its central star exploded approximately 10,000 years ago.

This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered; by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and its diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars, and a popular observing target in amateur telescopes.

Image Details:

•  
  • Instrument: Celestron C8 OTA @ f/6.3  (1260mm)
  • Mount: Celestron Advanced Series GoTo
  • Image Scale:  1.0 arc-seconds/pixel
  • Filters: None
  • Exposure: 14 x 5 minutes
  • Camera: SBIG ST-2000XCM Color One-Shot with AO-7
  • Software: Maxim DL/CCD, Adobe Photoshop, RC Astro Gradient X-Terminator, Neat Image Pro
  • Location: Little Rock, AR., El. 350ft
  • Date: September 10th, 2005