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Messier 27 “Dumbbell” planetary nebula
 M27 is just a perfect planetary nebula to observe. It is bright enough to be easily visible even in small binoculars. It is also large enough not to be mistaken for a star. It is also not just a round shape, but shows distinct brightening on the sides (hence the “Dumbbell” nickname, although “Apple core” is much more suitable in my opinion).

Dumbbell is also very good target for imaging — not too big, so even small camera easily frame it, bright enough for small telescopes and contains interesting gaseous structures to be revealed by long exposure.

But the M27 image above by Wolfgang Prompter shows the famous planetary nebula in completely different light. Long exposure with C3-61000 camera on large 60 cm (24”) ASA600 RC telescope with f/4.5 focal reducer reveals much more than the nebula core. Enjoy the beautiful image (click the image above to see it in full resolution) showing very dim outer pars of the nebula, which remain hidden on majority of images.

 
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