Personally, I don't think there's intelligent life on other planets. Why should other planets be any different from this one?

— Bob Monkhouse

M27

M27 in Vulpecula

Two hour H alpha light image combined with two red green and blue images of 5 minutes each.

Image taken October 14 2013 from my driveway in Verona, with gibbous moon up high.

M27 in Vulpecula

M27 in Hydrogen Alpha light

M27 as seem in Hydrogen Alpha Light Sept 2nd 2011.

M27 in   Hydrogen Alpha light

Dumbbell

Dumbell on Sept 1 & 2 2011.

Blue central star the source of this planetary??

Dumbbell

Dumbbell nebula overhead

Whiting NJ is not exactly New Mexico, but the skies are certainly darker than Montclair and it shows. This is a 5 minute shot of the dumbell with a one hour luminance in h alpha.

Filters and CCD camera allow us to image from our light polluted skies, but nothing can substitute for a darker sky. What a shame we are losing our night skies.

Dumbbell nebula overhead

M27 LCMY

This is a very short CMY exposure, 18 min's combined color images and 45 min combined Ha.  Taken Friday evening from Whiting, NJ:  First attempt at CMY imaging.  6" Astro-Tech RC

M27 LCMY

M27 in Ha and OIII

First attempt at narrow band imaging: Makes mince-meat of our light pollution!

M27 in Ha and OIII

Dumbbell Nebula

The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27 (M27), is a bright, large planetary planetary nebula located in Vulpecula constellation, at a distance of 1,360 light years from Earth. It is sometimes also called the Apple Core Nebula or Diablo Nebula. The nebula has the designation NGC 6853 in the New General Catalogue. It was the first planetary nebula to be discovered. Charles Messier included it as M27 in his catalogue in 1764.
Source: http://www.constellation-guide.com/dumbbell-nebula-messier-27/
Ha -12hr as R OIII -06hr as G and B

 Dumbbell Nebula