Dumbbell Nebula (M27) - Messier 27, also know as the Dumbbell or Apple Core Nebula, was captured by Richard Walker, Observatory Director,
at the Black Hills Astronomical Society’s Hidden Valley Observatory using the 12" Meade LX200 telescope in October 2018.  M27 is the second brightest
planetary nebula in the night sky and can be seen with a pair of large binoculars or a small telescope at a dark site.  However, only astrophotography
can reveal the details presented here.  The Dumbbell Nebula lies in the constellation Vulpecula (the little fox) just to the south of the star 14 Vulpeculae.
It covers an area of 8 by 5.6 arc minutes of apparent sky and has a linear radius of 1.44 light years. The nebula’s faint halo stretches out to more than
15 arc minutes.  M27 lies at an approximate distance of 1,360 light years, or 417 parsecs, from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.5. It has the
designation NGC 6853 in the New General Catalogue. 

The Black Hills Astronomical Society is a proud partner of the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, which has generously provided the funds to
upgrade our data collection capabilities at the observatory making this image possible.  This has enabled us to continue our mission of providing educational
opportunities for all South Dakotans, and visitors to our great state, through our activities and workshops by our volunteer membership.  As such you may
use this image for personal, educational or informational purposes providing the Black Hills Astronomical Society is acknowledged as the source. 

Total integration time for this narrowband image is 10 hours: 4hrs. SII,  4hrs. Ha, and 2hrs. OIII. The data was compiled in the Hubble color pallet, SHO.
Technician: Richard D. Walker

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