Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
The first planetary nebula discovered, it's relatively bright and can be seen with good binoculars as a hazy patch.
Planetary nebula in Vulpecula. Magnitude 7.5.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 74° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 71° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 19 Jul, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
- Your eyes: Not visible to the eye.
- 10x50 binoculars: A small round smudge from a dark site.
- A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): A clear disc or ring at medium power; an OIII filter helps.
- A camera: Tiny on camera: it needs 2,000 mm or more of focal length on a tracking mount.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 8′ × 4′, 26% of the Moon's width (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 7.5. Fainter than the faintest stars in Georgetown (4.3) and Lethem (6.0): binoculars or a telescope.
- Distance: 1,360 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 1,400 years ago, around the year 630.
What it is made of
- Type
- Planetary Nebula
- Distance
- Approx. 1,360 Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 2.5 Lightyears diameter
- Ionized Oxygen (OIII): Strong green/blue emission
- Ionized Hydrogen (H-alpha): Red emission, outer regions
- Central White Dwarf: Remnant core of progenitor star
More deep-sky objects: Ring Nebula (M57) · Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009) · Blue Snowball Nebula (NGC 7662) · Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) · Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) · Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76)