Planetary Nebulas in Cygnus Milky Way, August 2003

After having successfully setup the Observatory Tent, I turned the scope toward some of the gems in the Cygnus region of the milky way.  Below are a couple planetary nebulas taken on Supra 400 film.

The Dumbbell Nebula is a relatively bright planetary nebula located in the constellation Vulpecula (just to the east of Cygnus).  Planetary nebulas are the result of a main sequence star burning the remainder of its hydrogen and collapsing under the weight of the heavy metals that result from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen (mainly helium).  Note in that picture, you can see a bit of green, that's the spectral signature of ionized Oxygen, another remnant of a supernova blast.  This photo was taken on August 20th, 2003.  It's a 90 minute exposure on supra 400 film taken at prime focus of the 12" LX200 and guided with the st-4.

The Ring Nebula, or M57, is also a planetary nebula like m27 above and was formed in a similiar fashion.  It is approximately 2300 light years distant in our own milkway in the Cygnus Region.  Take a close look at the center of the ring, in it you'll find an approximately 15th magnitude white dwarf star.  This is the remainder of the star that blew off it's outer shell forming the ring nebula.  It will continue burning its heavier element fuels for a few billion years until it is completely spent, then it will become a brown dwarf.  Viewing the central star is a legendary observational challenge, typically requiring an aperatore of at least 16".  I've yet to view it.  This photo is a single 60 minute exposure taken on Supra 400 film with the 12" LX200 on August 20th, 2003.