Messier 27 is a planetary nebula around 1,227 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. It was the first planetary nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. The nebula was formed when the former massive star in the center exploded in a supernova, leaving behind a white dwarf which can be seen directly in the center of the nebula, and the expanding cloud of its remnants, expanding at 31 km/s. This gives the nebula an age of around 9,800 years. The nebula is 8′ x 5.6′ in size and is magnitude 7.5.