The Dumbbell Nebula was the first planetary nebula ever discovered, observed by Charles Messier on July 12, 1764. Planetary nebulas are formed when a star near the end of its life sheds its outer layers, creating an expanding shell of ionized gas illuminated by ultraviolet radiation from its hot central star. In the core of the nebula sits the white dwarf stellar remnant that ended its life. It is located in the constellation Vulpecula, roughly 1,360 light-years away.

Equipment & Details:

Optics: Orion 8” inch 3.9f Newtonian astrograph

Camera: Canon 60D DSLR unmoddified

Mount: Celestron AVX

Guiding: Orion Starshoot autoguider 60mm guide scope

Dates: June 15, 17, 18-2026

Location: Clarksdale Missouri

Exposures: Lights-203 with 3-minutes subs, ISO-1000 total 10 hours 9 minutes Darks-80 Flats-40

Processing: Pixlnsight, Photoshop CS5