M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula
Sun Jun 18 2023
The Dumbbell Nebula, Messier 27, is a planetary nebula, the glowing shell of gas thrown off by a dying Sun-like star as it exhausts its fuel. Its two-lobed, hourglass shape gives it the 'dumbbell' name. Strong oxygen emission lends it a striking blue-green glow, with fainter hydrogen filling in the finer details.
About this object
- Type
- Planetary Nebula
- Constellation
- Vulpecula (the Fox)
- Distance
- ~1,360 light-years
- Apparent magnitude
- 7.4
- Apparent size
- 6.7′
- Also known as
- Apple Core Nebula
- Catalogue designations
- M 27, NGC 6853
Acquisition
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 31 mm: 121 × 2m (4h 2m)
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 31 mm: 68 × 2m (2h 16m)
- Total integration: 6h 18m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron CGEM II
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 31 mm, Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 31 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC
- Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25″ / 31mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.