The Dumbbell Nebula M 27 is a planetary nebula. The classification planetary refers to the time of the discovery of the planet Uranus, as the shape of some nebulae are similar to planets and were mostly classified as gaseous planets. M27 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. It was not until the 20th century that it was discovered to actually be a nebula. It is one of the apparently largest and brightest that we see in the sky. It was formed around 10,000 years ago when a red giant star shed its shell in the last phase of its life. The nebula can be found in the constellation of Vulpecula.
Right ascention 19h 59min 36sec
Declination +22° 43′ 16″
The distance to Earth is about 1300 light years.
Image data: 2h exposed with 40 frames of 180 sec. Telescope: Celestron C11 with 0.63 focal reducer.
Image and text: Sven Dau
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