Dumbbell Nebula/M27 - a cosmic hourglass glowing with stellar remnants
In the summer sky lies one of the most striking objects you can view with a telescope — the Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27 (M27). Located in the small constellation Vulpecula, near the bright star Altair in the Summer Triangle, M27 is a glowing reminder of how stars like our Sun end their lives.
The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula — not a planet, but the remains of a dying star. When a sun-like star runs out of fuel, it sheds its outer layers into space, forming a cloud of gas. The hot core left behind lights up this gas, creating a soft, glowing shape that we can see even across more than 1,200 light-years of space.
Through a telescope, M27 looks like a small, oval cloud or two-lobed puff — almost like a weightlifter’s dumbbell, which gave it its name. It’s the brightest planetary nebula in the sky as well as one of the largest, so even small telescopes or good binoculars can show it as a glowing patch of light. Larger scopes reveal more shape and detail, especially under dark skies.
Whether you’re a casual stargazer or a seasoned observer, the Dumbbell Nebula is a beautiful and thought-provoking target — a gentle cosmic farewell from a star not too different from our own.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
Rating: 🟣 Showpiece Target
Level: 🟢 Moderate
How:
When: mid-Jun - Nov
🌟 Brightest Planetary Nebula in the Sky M27 is the brightest and one of the largest planetary nebulae, making it easy to spot even in small telescopes or binoculars under dark skies.
🌟 Impressive in All Apertures Even small scopes show a glowing, oval shape, while larger telescopes reveal complex lobes, arcs, and structure within the “dumbbell” shape.
🌟 A Textbook Dying Star You’re looking at a sun-like star in its final phase, shedding its outer layers and leaving behind a white dwarf—a vivid example of stellar evolution.
🌟 Easy to Find in Vulpecula M27 lies in a rich region of the summer Milky Way, not far from the star Gamma Sagittae, making it a straightforward and rewarding summer target.
🌟 Excellent for Visual and Imaging M27 is bright and detailed, making it a top choice for both visual observers and astrophotographers, with subtle colors and faint extensions revealed in long exposures.
🌟 A Crowd-Pleaser Its brightness, shape, and easy location make it a favorite for star parties and outreach—a great “wow” object to show off.
Planetary nebula: a glowing shell of gas ejected by a dying star, typically surrounding a hot white dwarf at its center.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
Find the Summer Triangle. Be sure to find Altair (+0.93) and Albireo (+3.07) because you'll use them in the next step.
Find the constellation Sagitta. It is halfway between Altair and Albireo and looks like a dart.
This is the step that can be a bit tricky. If your sky is dark enough (Bortle 1-4), find the 'bowl' stars made up of four magnitude +5 stars. Then use a binocular or telescope finder to point to the Dumbbell Nebula at the center of the opening of the bowl. If you can't see these stars, hop 3° from Gamma Sagittae in the direction shown. Then use a binocular or telescope finder to point to the Dumbbell Nebula. Using a low-powered eyepiece, scan the area for the target.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
✅ Start by locating the constellation Vulpecula. M27 lies in a relatively faint constellation of Vulpecula between Sagitta and Cygnus. A popular route is to star-hop from Gamma Sagittae to the Dumbbell Nebula.
✅ Use binoculars or a finder scope to locate the area. While M27 is too faint to resolve in binoculars, they can help you locate the star field. The nebula itself may appear as a faint, fuzzy patch in wide-field views.
✅ Begin with low power to spot it. A low-power eyepiece (around 40x to 60x) will make it easier to pick out M27 from the background. It appears as a bright, oval glow, much larger than many expect for a planetary nebula.
✅ Use medium to high magnification to explore detail. Once you’ve found it, increase magnification to 100x or more. The familiar dumbbell or apple-core shape becomes more distinct, and the edges show subtle structure and brightness variations.
✅ Observe from a dark-sky site for the best contrast. While M27 is bright enough to be seen under suburban skies, dark skies help bring out its fainter extensions and internal texture.
✅ Use a nebula filter to enhance visibility. A UHC or OIII filter greatly increases contrast, darkening the sky around the nebula and revealing more of its subtle outer glow and internal wisps.
✅ Try averted vision to enhance detail. Looking slightly to the side of the nebula will make its edges and inner structure more apparent, especially in smaller scopes.
✅ Spend time to let detail emerge. The longer you observe M27, the more it reveals. Give your eyes time to adapt fully and watch as the structure becomes increasingly three-dimensional.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
❌ Naked Eye
Messier 27, the Dumbbell Nebula, is far too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
⚠️ Binoculars
In dark skies, it can sometimes be glimpsed in binoculars as a small, faint, unresolved patch of light that stands out from the surrounding stars.
✅ Small Telescope
In a small telescope, M27 becomes immediately recognizable as a glowing, oval-shaped nebula with a soft gray or greenish hue and a distinct, double-lobed appearance that gives it its “dumbbell” name.
✅ Medium Telescope
A medium telescope reveals more structure and depth, with the central hourglass shape becoming clearer and the nebula’s edges showing gradual fading into space; using an OIII or UHC filter greatly enhances the contrast and helps bring out fainter extensions.
✅ Large Telescope
In a large telescope, M27 is strikingly detailed, with subtle filaments and arcs becoming visible along the lobes, delicate shading across its surface, and even faint outer nebulosity detectable under excellent skies—making it one of the most rewarding planetary nebulae for visual observers.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
Messier 27 is a bright and resilient planetary nebula that can be seen even under significant light pollution, but its full structure and subtle beauty only emerge under dark skies. In Bortle 1–2 conditions, it is richly textured and distinct; in Bortle 7+ skies, it fades to a dim glow, stripped of its complexity. It remains one of the finest planetary nebulae for observers, but like all deep-sky objects, it’s the darkness around it that reveals its true form.
🟣 In Bortle 1–2 skies, M27 is a magnificent and complex object. It appears as a large, glowing hourglass or dumbbell shape suspended in a dense field of stars. The nebula has clear lobes with internal shading and soft edges that fade into a rich Milky Way background. Subtle structure is visible across its body—variations in brightness, texture, and possibly even hints of the fainter outer halo surrounding the bright core. The entire field feels alive and three-dimensional, and the nebula commands attention as one of the most detailed planetary nebulae visible to amateurs.
🔵 In Bortle 3–4 skies, the Dumbbell Nebula still shows its iconic shape clearly. The bright central region remains bold, with the two lobes distinctly visible and separated by a slightly dimmer “waist.” Some shading and structure persist, though the fainter edges begin to soften. The background sky loses a little depth, but M27 continues to stand out well and remains an impressive and easily recognizable object.
🟢 In Bortle 5–6 skies, M27 becomes less textured but still prominent. The bright, dumbbell shape is still visible, but the outer extensions and subtle variations in brightness begin to fade. The nebula looks smoother and more uniform, with less distinction between its core and outer regions. The surrounding star field becomes more sparse, and the object begins to feel more isolated, losing some of its grandeur and dimensionality.
🟡 In Bortle 7+ skies, the Dumbbell Nebula is still visible, but its appearance is reduced to a small, dim oval or slightly elongated patch. The iconic lobed shape may be hard to distinguish, and all internal detail is washed out. The sky background is too bright to reveal any of the faint extensions or surrounding stars. While still detectable, M27 becomes a muted object with little visual richness.
Dumbbell Nebula/M27
DSOs within 48° or 2 outstretched hands at arm's length
Dumbbell Nebula/M27 - a cosmic hourglass glowing with stellar remnants
Find the Summer Triangle. Be sure to find Altair (+0.93) and Albireo (+3.07) because you'll use them in the next step.
Find the constellation Sagitta. It is halfway between Altair and Albireo and looks like a dart.
This is the step that can be a bit tricky. If your sky is dark enough (Bortle 1-4), find the 'bowl' stars made up of four magnitude +5 stars. Then use a binocular or telescope finder to point to the Dumbbell Nebula at the center of the opening of the bowl. If you can't see these stars, hop 3° from Gamma Sagittae in the direction shown. Then use a binocular or telescope finder to point to the Dumbbell Nebula. Using a low-powered eyepiece, scan the area for the target.
