The bright portion of the nebula (visible here) is expanding at a rate of nearly 7 arc seconds per century, leading to an estimated age of 3,000 to 4,000 years since the central star's shell ejection. The central star is very hot (85,000 K) and quite bright at mag 13.5. As for most planetary nebulae, the distance of M27 is not well known. A wide range of existing estimates average at around 1,200 light years.

Here is an earlier version taken with a digital SLR camera:

This is my first astrophotograph taken with my new Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR camera, and in fact an image recorded at my first ever star party - the Autumn Equinox Star Party at Kelling Heath, Norfolk, UK, in September 2006.