Monday, July 15, 2013

Compilation Image M27: The Dumbell Nebula

Credit: Terry Hancock, Fred Herrmann and André van der Hoeven

In 1764, Charles Messier discovered this celestial object, M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, the 27th on Messier’s famous list, and the first planetary nebula to be included.

The image shown here represents an international collaboration between Andre van der Hoeven in Holland, Fred Herrmann in Alabama and Terry Hancock in Fremont, Michigan.

Almost 40 hours of data collected using different telescopes and CCD cameras combine in the final image.

Says Hancock, "Using narrow band filters and very long exposures we were able to capture the outer hydrogen and oxygen shell of M27, which is not normally visible in amateur images."

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