M27, or the Dumbbell Nebula, was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. It is probably similar in structure to the Ring Nebula (M57) though its appearance is very different due to the angle by which it's viewed.

The nebula is also one of the brightest of its kind. It can be easily seen in a pair of 10x50 binoculars on a clear night in a dark sky location. The outer halo extends in size to about half the diameter of a full moon.