Messier 27 (Vulpecula)
Fig. 1 - The first planetary nebula ever discovered: Messier 27 in Vulpecula, photographed with a 16-inch f/4.5 Dob on an equatorial platform. Messier 27 is the result of an old star that has shed its outer gas layers.
| Object name: | Constellation: | Coordinates: | Apparent size: | Visual brightness: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messier 27 (= NGC 6853) | Vulpecula | 20h00m / +22°43' | 8.0' x 5.7' | 7.5 mag |
The planetary nebula Messier 27 (NGC 6853, "Dumbbell nebula") in the constellation of Vulpecula. The gaseous remains of a red giant star are 1,360 light-years from Earth and were discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 (source: Wikipedia).
Exposure time: 2h 27min (49x3min) at gain 100, taken on August 20 / 21, 2023, were added for this shot with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) software and the final image processing was done in Photoshop. Darks, flats, bias and darkflats were used.
Equipment: Cooled ASI 2600MC Pro camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 16" f/4.5 "Ninja" dobsonian telescope riding on a dual-axis Tom Osypowski equatorial platform, Lacerta MGEN autoguider, Lacerta off axis system.
Field of view comparison: image of the moon with the same setup.
Fig. 2 - Search chart for Messier 27. Copyright 2025 'The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project', www.siaris.net.