M76 Little Dumbbell
M76 Little Dumbbell
M76 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus. It is approximately 2500 light years away, and about 1 1/2 lights years across. M76 is one of the fainter Messier objects. Planetary nebula, like M76 and M57 and M27, are made of glowing shells of gas ejected by stars late in their life. The gas is ionized by the ultraviolet radiation from the hot core of the star. Despite the name planetary nebulae these have nothing to do with planets. They were named this when they were first discovered because of their similar appearance in size and color to the planet Uranus that was discovered in 1781.
CROP at 200%
M76 BiColor Version
Close up of M76
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M76 20min Ha Subframe
M76 20min Ha Subframes x 22 = 440 min combined image
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M76 20min OIII Subframe
M76 20min OIII Subframes 29 x 20 = 580 min combined image
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M76 20min SII Subframe
M76 20min SII Subframes 26 x 20 = 520 min combined image
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OIII data for BiColor Image Acquired by Larry Van Vleet Thanks Larry!!
Scope Planewave 17in for Ha, SII, OIII and RCOS 16in for BiColor OIII
Camera Apogee U16
Mount Paramount ME
Filters Astrodon Ha5nm OIII3nm SII5nm
Exposures Ha 6.6hrs OIII 6hrs Ha 20min subs OIII 30min subs
Exposures Ha 7.3hrs OIII 9.6hrs SII 8.6hrs TriColor image
Location Sierra Nevada Mountains CA. Heavens Mirror Observatory SRO 2012-13