M76 – Planetary Nebula in Perseus

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 31x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.3 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M76 is a modest size planetary nebula in Perseus. This type of nebula forms near the end of a star’s life when the core collapses, setting off an explosion that blows off the star’s outer shell forming a bubble that can take the form of a great variety of shapes. In this example the central bar is thought to be a ring seen nearly edge-on and this relatively bright bar is the only part that is readily visible in a modest size telescope. Visually, the central bar shows two lobes that appear similar to M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula, and M76 is often referred to as the Little Dumbbell.