The Dumbell Nebula

The Dumbell Nebula, known as M-27 (NGC 6853) was discovered by Charles Messier in 1754. It is located in our galaxy some 1360 LY distant. It is categorized as a planetary nebula, and is the result of an exploding central star.  It is a favorite of backyard astronomers everywhere, since it is easy to find and easy to image. Every image I have seen, including my own, seems to represent a different color scheme, probably due to the preferences of the person taking the image and the subsequent processing. I took the following image on the 30th of October 2011, and probably over processed the raw data, but it is pleasing to me.

Technical stuff:   Meade LX200GPS 10" with Meade DSI Pro II and Antares .5 focal reducer, at f/5 focal ratio. Unguided 42 second exposures (70 Lum, 25 each R, G, B filters). Saved and stacked in Envisage as Fits, liberated by NASA Fits liberator, and processed in Photo Shop 7. Seeing was good, transparency was excellent.