The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), one of the brightest planetary nebulae in the sky, is the final stage in the life of a Sun‑like star. Located roughly 1,200–1,360 light‑years away, it spans about 2.5–3 light‑years and shows the characteristic dumbbell‑shaped structure that gave it its name.
At its centre lies a hot white dwarf — the remnant of the original star — whose intense ultraviolet radiation ionizes the surrounding gas. This makes the nebula glow in vivid colors, dominated by oxygen and hydrogen emissions, producing the familiar turquoise‑red appearance in OSC astrophotography.
The image was captured under the challenging, changeable skies of Swansea. The data was collected in May — a short 5‑hour project.
Grzegorz Szalbierz
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