Astro Images

This image of M27 was taken using the TMB 152mm APO refractor

This image of M27 was taken at f10 Multiple 10 minute exposures stacked (added) using the Takahashi NJP160 mount

Visual Magnitude: 7.3
Size: 8.0 min X 5.7 min
Distance: 815 light years
Discoverer: Messier

Visual Description: : “The August sky contains many delightful planetary nebulae – ephemeral spheres of blue and green gas that float amid the pearly star currents of the Milky Way.  Certainly one of the most observed is the Dumbbell nebula, M27 in Vulpecula”.[1]  “M27, the most famous of planetary nebulae, got its nickname many years after it’s discovery from its resemblance to a bodybuilder's hand weight. M27 is one of the closer planetaries (815 light years away) and its physical diameter of 1.2 light years also makes it one of the larger. The gaseous material was blown from the blue-dwarf star now at its center during one of the star's death throes 48,000 years ago which makes M27 more than twice as old as typical planetaries. M27 is a multiple-shell planetary. One shell, of doubly ionized oxygen, is expanding at a velocity of 9 miles per second, while another shell, of ionized nitrogen, is expanding at 20 miles per second. From our vantage point, the whole gaseous ring is swelling 6 sec per century. The gas shells glow from excitation by ultra-violet radiation emitted by the hot central star.” [2]

Seeing Conditions: Not Recorded

(Picture1)
Telescope: TMB 152mm APO Refractor
Focal Length: 1201 mm (F7.9) * 0.8 Tele Vue Focal Reducer (961mm @ f 6.4)

(Picture2)
Telescope: 10" LX200 OTA
Focal Length: 2500 mm (F10) and 1575 mm (f6.3)

Mount: Takahashi NJP 160
Camera: Starlight XPress MX916
Exposure: Multiple 10 minute exposures
Other: SBIG STV guider, Optec Intelligent Filter Wheel

Image Processing: The first image is a color image taken at f10 with the Takahashi NJP160 mount. It consists of 10 minute exposures for red, green and blue and multiple 10 minute images stacked (added) for the luminance image. All images had dark frames subtracted and used the hi-pass sharpening filter applied. The bottom image of M27 was taken at f10. Multiple 10 minute exposures were stacked (added) and a dark frame was subtracted. A hi-pass sharpening filter was applied.

.

Astro Images

doug@dougsastro.net

Copyright(c) 2007 Doug Sanqunetti. All rights reserved