M 27 (Dumbbell Nebula) (Alex Woronow)

M 27 (Dumbbell Nebula)

OTA: RCOS (14.5” f/8)

Camera: SBIG STX-16803

Observatory: Deep Sky West

EXPOSURES USED (selected from a larger number of frames and combined using custom weighting):

Hydrogen: 19 x 1800 sec

Oxygen: 12 x 1800

Sulfur: 16 x 1800

Red 12 x 300

Green 24 x 300

Blue 24 x 300

Total exposure 28.5 hours

Image Width: ~.5 deg

Processed by Alex Woronow using PixInsight in 2018

Messier 27 is a “planetary nebula”; a gas and dust cloud that forms when a low-mass, dying star ejects it outer layer at the end of its life. This ejection and occurs when hydrogen becomes depleted to the point that core’s H-burning cannot produce the necessary radiation pressure to support the star against its own gravitational force. Consequently, the core collapses, until the growing pressure and temperature (T rising from around 15M degrees K to around 100M degrees K) ignites He burning. This violent burst of new energy ejects the outer shell of the star through a strong stellar wind. Typically, a star ejects 50% to70% of its mass! The re-ignited core emits strong ultra-violet radiation, which ionizes the cast-off shell and cause causes it to glow and us to be able to see and image it. The small star at its center is the white dwarf (actually bluish in color) remnant of the exploded star.

This particular planetary nebula is “bipolar,” in that the material was ejected in two opposite directions, rather than as a spherical shell.

M 27 is estimated to have arisen about 3500 years ago (late Stone Age). It lies at a distance of about 1,400 light-years and is about 3 light-years across.

Narrowband imaging
Planetary Nebulae

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	2636226
PixInsight job	JSCTO7X1NC998TRRCYGDYK3C5FJN2H6Z
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

RA (center)	19h59m38s.84
RA (top/left)	20h00m13s.63
RA (top/right)	19h58m31s.79
RA (bottom/right)	19h59m04s.18
RA (bottom/left)	20h00m45s.75

Dec (center)	+22°40′37″.4
Dec (top/left)	+22°58′14″.7
Dec (top/right)	+22°52′18″.1
Dec (bottom/right)	+22°22′58″.3
Dec (bottom/left)	+22°28′54″.7

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