A planetary nebula in Perseus, also known as the Cork Nebula or Barbell Nebula. It is one of the fainter Messier objects and requires a telescope to discern its bipolar structure.
Planetary nebula in Perseus. Magnitude 10.1.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 45° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 42° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 14 Oct, 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: Just detectable in binoculars from a dark site, as a faint smudge.
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: 2′ × 1′, 1/16 of the Moon's width (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
Brightness: magnitude 10.1. Fainter than the faintest stars in Georgetown (4.3) and Lethem (6.0): binoculars or a telescope.
Distance: 2,500 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 2,500 years ago (the distance is uncertain).
What it is made of
Type
Planetary Nebula
Distance
Approx. 2,500 Lightyears (uncertain)
True size
Approx. 1.2 Lightyears across (main structure)
Central Bar/Ring (Ionized Oxygen): Brightest part, OIII emission