Little Dumbbell
M76, NGC 650 · Planetary nebula in Perseus
- Magnitude
- 10.1
- Size
- 2.7′ × 1.8′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.3 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Sep, Oct, Nov
- Declination
- +52°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
A small, bright-per-pixel planetary in Perseus. Dual-band makes the two lobes and the faint wings much easier.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | 6% | 25 min150 subs | 28 min168 subs | 41 min248 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 3% | 28 min168 subs | 31 min188 subs | 46 min275 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 41 px | 29 min175 subs | 32 min193 subs | 46 min274 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 43 px | 30 min181 subs | 34 min202 subs | 49 min293 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 59 px | 31 min123 subs | 35 min142 subs | 56 min225 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 41 px | 24 min98 subs | 28 min111 subs | 41 min164 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 4% | 20 min40 subs | 22 min45 subs | 33 min67 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 54 px | 1 h 22 min330 subs | 1 h 50 min441 subs | 3 h 52 min927 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 3% | 20 min122 subs | 30 min182 subs | 1 h 14 min444 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 3% | 48 min289 subs | 1 h 09 min415 subs | 2 h 41 min966 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 3% | 19 min116 subs | 29 min173 subs | 1 h 11 min425 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 3% | 45 min273 subs | 1 h 06 min394 subs | 2 h 34 min924 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 8% | 24 min363 subs | 30 min457 subs | 58 min866 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 8% | 2 h 05 min1,870 subs | 2 h 27 min2,210 subs | 4 h 06 min3,697 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 5% | 5 min30 subs | 8 min47 subs | 20 min122 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 6% | 6 min39 subs | 10 min63 subs | 28 min171 subs |
Imaging the planetary nebula
Planetary nebulae are small but intensely bright per pixel in OIII and H-alpha, so they respond very well to a dual-band filter and do not need much time for the main shell. The faint outer halos most of them have are a different proposition and need hours. Keep subs short if the central region saturates.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Little Dumbbell with the Celestron Origin Mark II