Dumbbell Nebula

OK not plane or heli related but I know some are interested so here is a one off picture for you taken last night with my 10" guided scope fitted with a special astronomical CCD camera.

The picture took about 3 hours to capture.

This gas nebula (know as the Dumbbell Nebula) is the remnant of a blue-dwarf star (now at its centre) which exploded about 48,000 years ago.

One part of the gas shell is expanding at a velocity of 9 miles per second while another shell of ionised nitrogen is expanding at 20 miles per second...

Its about 815 light years away...