Instrument

12.5" RCOS @  ~f/9 (2880 mm fl) 1.28 arcsec / pixel for Ha data.  Shown resampled to 1.71 arcsec/pixel.

Celestron C11 for RGB.

Mount

Paramount ME

Camera

SBIG STL-11000 w/ internal filter wheel, AstroDon Filters

Acquisition Date

10/09/07 to 6/14/2008  Chino Valley... with CCDAutoPilot3

Exposure

Ha      480 min.  (16 x 30 min. bin 2x2)

Lum    120 min.  (24 X 5 min,  bin 1x1)
RGB    360 min.  (24 x 5 bin 2x2) each

Software

CCDSoft and Sigma Clip (pre beta 11) were used to reduce, register and combine each RGB component.

CCDStack, with the CCDIS plugin, was used to register the old C11 RGB images with the new RCOS Ha data.  The final color combine was done with PhotoShop.

Comment

North is to the top.

Messier 27 (M27) is excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space. Known by the popular name of the "Dumbbell Nebula", the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.

Hydrogen alpha filtered data was added to the red and luminance channels to show the extent of the hydrogen halo that extends mostly around one side of the nebula.

Instrument

Celestron C11 @ ~f/10.3 (~2900 mm fl)... reduced to 1.27 arcsec / pixel.

Mount

Paramount ME

Camera

SBIG STL-11000 w/ internal filter wheel, AstroDon Filters

Acquisition Date

10/09/07 to 10/30/07  Chino Valley... with CCDAutoPilot3

Exposure

Lum    120 min (24 X 5 min, BIN 1 x 1)
RGB    120 min.  (24 x 5 bin 2x2) each

Software

CCDSoft, Photoshop CS w/ the Fits Liberator plugin and Noel Carboni's actions, Sigma Clip (pre beta 11) and Paint Shop Pro.

Comment

North is to the top.

Messier 27 (M27) is excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space. Known by the popular name of the "Dumbbell Nebula", the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.