Spotted by Charles Messier in 1764, M27 was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. The nebula is the result of an old star that has shed its outer layers in a glowing display of color.
The name "planetary nebula" is because when they were discovered by Charles Messier and William Herschel, they were similar in appearance to planets through the telescopes of the time.
Telescope used: Takahashi TOA150 1200mm focal length with 0.7x super reducer = 840mm f/5.5
Camera used: QHYCCD 163m
Filters used: Astronomik DeepSky 6nm Ha and 6nm O3