Object: The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
Date: 10/8/04
Location: My backyard, Las Cruces, NM
Telescope: Meade 10" LX200 @ f/10
Guiding: Modified webcam and GuideDog software
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel (300D) @ Prime Focus
Exposure: 11x2.5 min @ ISO-400 (LPS filter)
Processing: Raws converted to 16bit TIFF, calibration, alignment and stacking (adaptive addition) performed in ImagesPlus. Final levels, curves (color balance), and star shaping to compensate for breezy conditions were adjusted in Photoshop. 
Comments:  This is a beautiful planetary nebula, the remnant of a dying star. This growing gas cloud was the outer shell of a collapsing star that was blown off in a tremendous explosion. A small highly compressed white dwarf star is left at the center the cloud. The Dumbbell's diameter is estimated to be about 2 1/2 light years and it's distance at somewhere between 490 and 980 light-years.

© Dave Dockery 2004