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Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
planetary nebula in Vulpecula
The Dumbbell Nebula is a large, bright planetary nebula in the small constellation Vulpecula, the shell of gas thrown off by a dying star. At about eight arcminutes it is big enough to show structure at modest focal lengths, and its bright center gives strong results in a single evening.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- M27
- Type
- planetary nebula
- Constellation
- Vulpecula
- Size
- 8′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 7.5
- Distance
- about 1,250 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jul
- Typical prime months
- May to Oct
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Filter
- OIII or dual-band / UHC filter
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How to image Dumbbell Nebula
- It is small, so use 1,000 mm or more and expect to crop. Even at 2,000 mm it fills only about a fifth of an APS-C frame. Shorter focal lengths also work if you want it in a star field.
- The nebula glows strongly in oxygen. An OIII or dual-band filter makes the faint outer halo show against the sky.
- It transits high on summer nights, which gives steadier air than the low southern targets.
Framing: what focal length?
M27 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 10% |
| 2,000 mm | about 20% |
| 3,000 mm | about 30% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M27 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 58° | Workable |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 68° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 78° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 88° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 32° | Workable |
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