Targets

The Dumbbell Nebula is the brightest planetary nebula in the sky and the easiest of its class to find - a dying star's ejected shell seen from the side, so its two bright lobes form the apple-core shape it is named for. At magnitude 7.4 and 8 arcminutes across it is visible in binoculars as a faint patch, resolves into the dumbbell in a 4-inch telescope, and shows its fainter perpendicular wings in an 8-inch under dark skies.

The Ring Nebula is a classic planetary nebula — the glowing shell of gas expelled by a dying star. Its striking smoke-ring appearance makes it one of the most recognizable deep-sky objects and a favourite target for intermediate observers.