Dumbbell Nebula
Where is the Dumbbell Nebula?
Look south, about 61° up at 20:20 in Vulpecula. It sinks lower through the evening and sets at 04:14.
- Rises
- 11:48
- Highest
- 20:03
- Sets
- 04:14
- Best after dark
- 20:20 · 61°
Can I see the Dumbbell Nebula tonight?
From London tonight, the Dumbbell Nebula is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest soon after dark, around 20:20, in the south at 61°.
At magnitude 7.5, with its light spread out, it needs binoculars and a dark sky.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does the Dumbbell Nebula look like?
Eyes
Not visible.
Binoculars
Under reasonable skies, a small, faint, fuzzy patch.
Telescope
A glowing shape like an apple core or hourglass. A nebula filter (UHC or OIII) makes it stand out more, even from suburbs.
About the Dumbbell Nebula
The Dumbbell Nebula was the first planetary nebula ever discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. It is the glowing shell of gas thrown off by a dying star, roughly 1,300 light-years away.
The star at its center is now a hot white dwarf whose ultraviolet light makes the gas glow. The name “planetary nebula” comes from early observers who thought these round glows looked like planets; they have nothing to do with planets.
It is one of the brightest planetary nebulae and easy to see in small telescopes.
The shell is a few light-years across and is thought to have been expanding for around 10,000 years. Its central white dwarf is about magnitude 13.5, visible in medium-sized telescopes under good skies.
Long exposures show faint outer lobes that give the nebula a fuller, football-like shape.
Vulpecula is high on summer and early-autumn evenings from mid-northern latitudes.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
What is a planetary nebula?
Will the Sun become a planetary nebula?
Sources: SkyMate; OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences