M 27
M 27
The Dumbbell Nebula M27 was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. On July 12, 1764, Charles Messier discovered this new and fascinating class of objects. We happen to see this one approximately from its equatorial plane (approx. left-to-right in our image); from near one pole, it would probably have the shape of a ring, and perhaps look like we view the Ring Nebula M57.
The present author (hf) was surprized how fine this object was seen in his 10x50 binoculars under moderately good conditions !
Bill Arnett's Dumbbell Nebula M27 photo page, info page.
| Right ascension | 19 : 57.4 (hours : minutes) |
|---|---|
| Declination | +22 : 35 (degrees : minutes) |
| Distance | 1.2 (light-years*10^3) |
| Visual magnitude | 7.6 |
