Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi

M27: The Dumbell Nebula
Planetary Nebula in Vulpecula
LRGB/SHO Image

APOD July 12, 2021.  Click To View
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Copyright 2021
Keith B Quattrocchi and Bray Falls

Image Acquisition Information  
                    
Telescope: 16" RCOS Richey Chretien Telescope (ion milled at f/9) 
Camera: ZWO Full Frame Back Illuminated CMOS ASI 6200 MM
Guiding: Starlight Xpress AO with UltraStar Autoguiding Camera (AO control using maxim DL software).
Filters: Astrodon LRBG, H-alpha, S-II and OIII Filters
Acquisition Programs: NINA, The SkyX, PHD2, PWI4
Processing Programs: PixInsight, RC Astro, CCDStack, Photoshop CS4
Date: Data processed on July 12, 2021.  Data acquisition:  June of 2021                           
Time:  3 hours (multiple 10 minute exposures) for each of Ha/SII/OIII + LRGB  for a total of 24 hours.                
              
Image Information: ​M27, or the Dumbbell Nebula, is aplanetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula about 1,360 light-years away, visible in binoculars or small telescopes under dark skies. It is the glowing, expelled gas of a star that has died, and was the first planetary nebula discovered, in 1764.  
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Processing Information: These LRGB + Ha/SII/OIII images were obtained using AstroDon filters.  The LRGB/NB images were batch processed (calibrated, registered, normalized and integrated) in PixInsignt.   Further stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing was performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/4 and PixInsight.