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the Ring Nebula from the side, it would look
like the Dumbbell Nebula (M27). With this ob-
ject, we’re looking directly at the pole of the
nebula.
Dumbbell Nebula in the Vulpecula (Fox)
constellation (M 27)
M 27 in the Fox constellation (Figure 22)
Right ascension: 19:59.6 (Hours: Minutes)
Declination: -+22:43 (Angle: Minutes)
Distance: 1.250 light years
The Dumbbell Nebula (M 27) in Fox was the
rst planetary nebula ever discovered. On
July 12, 1764, Charles Messier discovered
this new and fascinating class of objects. We
see this object almost directly from its equato-
rial plane. If you could see the Dumbbell Ne-
bula from one of the poles, it would probably
reveal the shape of a ring, and we would see
something very similar to what we know from
the Ring Nebula (M 57). In reasonably good
weather, we can see this object well even with
small magnications.
f=20 mm f=12 mm f=4 mm
The Moon
Orion Nebula (M 42)
Ring Nebula in Lyra
constellation (M 57)
Dumbbell Nebula in
the Vulpecula (Fox)
constellation (M 27)
GB
2!
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