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NGC
6781 is a beautiful planetary with much exquisite detail for 8-inch
or larger scopes. Compared to the Ring Nebula it is relatively
large and faint, yet not so faint that it isn't visible in small
telescopes. It appears as an oval with a slightly darker
center. At 16.8 magnitude, the central star (a white dwarf) is
probably out of reach of most instruments.
In my 6-inch Newtonian
it was
relatively obvious at 50x. Best at 135x. It was
irregular in appearance; blotchy, and irregularly shaped. No
central star was seen.
In my 18-inch f/4.5 it
was obvious as a large hazy spot at 97x, making it quite different
from the typical tiny planetaries it seems I've been spending so
much of my time observing these days. It appeared slightly
oval with perhaps a small darkening to the center. At 165x I
glimpsed hints of dark spots. Quite cool!
A six-inch view at
50x. North is down and east is right.
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