45 minutes exposure, Kodak PMJ-2 400 film.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.
The Saturn nebula has for a long time been one of my favourite planetary nebulae. It is situated in Aquarius, about 3 degrees north-east of M72. The easiest way of locating it is to find the 4th magnitude star nu aquari. NGC 7009 is a little over 1 degree to the west of this star.
NGC 7009 is a fairly small object, just a little larger than the actual planet Saturn, but at 8th magnitude, quite bright. In an 8" telescope, the nebula shows a small, ellipitical disk with a very strong greenish colour. The two "handles", or ansae which give the nebula its common name can be discerned using high magnification, which the nebula bears well. In a 12", the ansae are easy to observe.
