Object Name – M27 - Dumbbell Nebula.
Object Type – Emission nebula.
J2000.0 Equatorial Coordinates – 19h 59m 40.0s; +22° 43' 36.0".
Distance – 500 light-years.
Constellation – Vulpecula.

The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as M27, was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. He described it as an oval nebula with no stars within. The Dumbbell is actually the first planetary nebula ever found, and one of the most striking in the whole sky.

The visible part of the nebula spans 6 arcminutes, but its halo extends much further (15 arcmin) and is very difficult to detect. M27 is believed to be 4000 years old and is located at about 500 light years from Earth, showing an apparent magnitude of 7.4. The central star, known to be a blue subdwarf of spectral type O7, shines at magnitude 13.5 and has a surface temperature of 85,000 degrees.

The appearance of a nebula in the sky depends on its relative orientation with respect to Earth. The Dumbbell is seen almost face-on (i.e. equatorial view). If seen pole-on instead, its appearance would have been very similar to the Ring Nebula in Lyra (see April 2007 AIM).

M27 is easily visible through binoculars, although its subtle detail starts to be visible only through a mid-sized amateur telescope.