Cork Nebula

Image gallery

Historical observations

Mechain & Messier

Mechain discovered it in September 1780 and it was found 6 weeks later by Messier, who said it comprised of "small stars containing nebulosity... the least light employed to illuminate the micrometer wires causes it to disappear.

Webb, T.W. (1893)

Webb described it as "a pearly-white nebula, double, a curious miniature of M27 and, like it, gaseous... the preceding portion a little brighter."

William Herschel

In the Appendix to the 1912 'Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel' this object is described as "1787, November 12. Two, close together, their nebulosities run into each other; distance of their centers 1.5 or 2' [M76 and I.193]."

Birr Castle/Lord Rosse

Lord Rosse thought to find some hint of a spiral structure with "subordinate nodules and streamers."

NGC/IC Dreyer (1888, 1895, 1908)

It is recorded in the NGC as two entries, 650 and 651. NGC 650 is described as "very bright, preceding of double nebula" whereas 651 is "very bright, following of double nebula."

Published comments

Burnham's Celestial Handbook

The faintest Messier object, Burnham comments on the irregular form of the nebula, saying it "appears as a roughly rectangular or box shaped mass, measuring about 2' by 1' The appearance is fairly similar to the bright portion of the Dumbbell Nebula M27 in Vulpecula."

Burnham quotes the Lick Publications description of the nebula as "quite irregular, but evidently to be included as one of the larger members of the planetary class. The central and brighter portion is an irregular, patchy oblong 87" by 42" in PA 40° from the ends of which faint, irregular ringlike wisps extended; total length 157" in PA 128°... brightest patch at southern end of central part.

Doig, P. (1925)

Doig, P. (1925) Notes on the nebulae and clusters in Webb's 'Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes' (Sixth edition, Vol.ii). Part IV. M.N.R.A.S., 36(2), 58.

Sulentic & Tifft (1973)

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 12.0 mag planetary nebula.

See also "Visual Astronomy of the Deep Sky" by Roger N. Clark (1990, Sky Publishing Corporation) page 82.

Terzian, Y. (1980)

Terzian Y (1980) Q.J. R.astr.Soc vol 21, p82-92 [09.16.1] notes that this planetary shows multiple shell structure.

Modern observations

(unknown)

This planetary is often concidered the most difficult Messier object. With an 8-inch SCT at 154x, it has a green cast and is easily visible with direct vision. It is quite small, and has a rectangular appearance. The bow-tie shape is accented by using a Deep Sky filter.

Ancient City Astron.Club (1980)

Listed by the Herschel Club, described as "hint of elongation, blue-green in colour, fairly bright. Situated in a pretty star field. 8-inch, 48x."

Tom Lorenzin

Tom Lorenzin, in the electronic version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes: "10.1M; 2'x 1' extent; elongated, bright and compact; two lobes (N650-651); axis oriented NE-SW; SW lobe brighter; large aperture and hi-x show radial filaments; about 50' NNE of 5M Phi PER; the "LITTLE DUMBELL"; a.k.a. the "CORK" nebula."

Kaler, J.B. (1992)

James B. Kaler ("The Amateur Scientist", Scientific American, May 1992) notes: " .. this bipolar planetary nebula [showed] both lobes in a 10-inch."

Gross, Todd

Observer: Todd Gross

Your skill: Intermediate

Date and UT of observation: 08/01/97 0755 GMT

Location & latitude: 22 miles west of Boston, Ma. 42.3N

Site classification: Suburban

Limiting magnitude (visual): 5.0 (estimated) 5.0(est) in vicinity of object

Seeing (1 to 10 - worst-best): 5

Moon up (phase?): Yes, thin crescent

Instrument: 16" Dob, 96%, 99% coatings

Magnifications: 123x,263x

Filters used: UHC

Object: M76

This object looks a whole lot like the larger M27, with it's dumbell shape. However, it is thinner, less "robust" looking, kind of like M27 went on a hunger strike. At high magnification (263x), using a Lumicon UHC filter, M76 sprouted two "antilobes" coming out of either side of it's skinniest part. This was best viewed with averted vision, but looked kind of like broadening beams coming out of it's waist. This was much, much weaker and less rounded than similar large lobes surrounding the sides of M27.

Paul Alsing

82-inch at McDonald - Observing Report

[amastro] posting, Sat Nov 25, 2006

82" telescope, McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas, USA

f/13.7, 35mm Televue Panoptic (5' fov, 812x)

M-76, with 2 NGC designations, NGC 650/51, this looks like a collision of gas clouds, a bright bar with lesser nebulosity on each side. Very nice.

Contemporary observations

Tom Bryant

2006-09-26 03:30:00

Observing site: Little Tycho Observatory

Telescope: C-8

[1h 42m 18s, 51° 34m 0s] A very low contrast object in these light polluted skies. One can see the "peanut" shape that gives it it's popular name. The LPR filter helped with this one, as did the early hour and clear skies.