The very well known and popular Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Messier 27, M27, NGC 6853, or the Apple Core Nebula) is a bright planetary nebula located about 1,360 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.
My photo is more about the faint outer halo and the intricate details in its core.
Capturing the faint outer halo of the Dumbbell Nebula requires narrowband filters (Hydrogen-alpha and Oxygen-III) paired with long total integration times. Because the halo is roughly 1,000 times dimmer than the bright central lobes, standard broadband filters wash out the delicate outer gas against background sky glow.
Hydrogen-alpha is the most critical filter for revealing this outer halo. The outer wings and diffuse tendrils emit strongly in deep red H-alpha light, tracing the oldest material shed by the star.
With an Oxygen-III filter the fainter blue-green outer shell provides structural contrast against the red H-alpha wisps.
The center of the nebula is vastly brighter than the outer halo, so in order to pull up the faint background halo without blowing out the bright core, shorter exposures are a strict necessity.
Equipment used:
Mounts: StellarDrive GT6, Dark Frame hypertuned EQ6
Modified Sky-Watcher Explorer 200p (Baader Diamond Steeltrack focuser), Orion Optics CT8
2 x Aplanatic coma corrector
ASI294MM Pro Cmos camera, cooled at - 10°C
QHY268M Pro Cmos camera, cooled at - 10°C
8x1.25" ZWO USB filterwheel
QHYCCD QHYCCD CFW3M-US 36mm filterwheel
Chroma 1.25" RGB and 3nm Ha and Oiii filters
Antlia 36mm RGB and 3nm Ha and Oiii filters
2 x ZWO ASI290m Mini guide cameras
ZWO OAG
QHYCCD OAG-M
Qhyccd Polemaster
Software used:
Eqmod, SGP - Sequence Generator Pro, PHD2, Stellarium, SharpCap for polar alignment
Frames:
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 65×120s(2h 10m)
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 50×600s(8h 20m)
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 45×120s(1h 30m)
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 40×600s(6h 40m)
Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm: 5×120s(10m)
Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm: 5×120s(10m)
Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm: 5×120s(10m)
Chroma Blue 1.25": 10×60s(10m)
Chroma Green 1.25": 10×60s(10m)
Chroma H-alpha 3nm Bandpass 1.25": 90×300s(7h 30m)
Chroma H-alpha 3nm Bandpass 1.25": 60×60s(1h)
Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 1.25": 80×300s(6h 40m)
Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 1.25": 90×60s(1h 30m)
Chroma Red 1.25": 10×60s(10m)
Integration:
36h 20m
Date 03.08.2026 to 24.08.2026
Location:
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, bortle 5
Stacked and calibrated in AstroPixel Processor and processed in Pixinsight (with help from Blur Xterminator and Noise Xterminator) and Photoshop CC 2026
Copyright: Emil Andronic