M27 in Vulpecula, a.k.a. the Dumbbell Nebula.

That night my wife and I came home from an information night at the school of our son earlier than expected . When I saw that conditions were favourable, I decided to give it a shot. Since I had not prepared for a night of astrophotography, I had to choose an object I could easily find. Therefore not a galaxy this time.

Maybe it's because I profoundly hate all sports and fitness in particular, but frankly I don't understand why people call this the dumbbell nebula. To me it looks much more like the core of an apple.

EXPOSURE DATA: TAL 150 PM 150mm f/5 Newtonian telescope on a Vixen SP equatorial mount; modified Starlight Xpress MX5-C camera, 33 60s exposures, from my backyard in The Hague, September 8, 2005.