Ring Nebula
About this image
M57, better known as the Ring Nebula, is one of the classic summer targets in the constellation Lyra. It is a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying star that has shed its outer layers into space, leaving behind a hot central white dwarf.
What I really like about this image is the contrast in distance and scale. M57 sits within our own Milky Way, around 2,000 light-years away, while nearby in the same field is the tiny barred spiral galaxy IC 1296, roughly 238 million light-years away. They look close together in the image, but in reality they are separated by a vast distance.
Annotated image
Image details
| Object type | planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Catalogue | M57, NGC 6720, PGC 3517795, PK 063+13.1, PN G063.1+13.9, M 57 – NGC 6720 – PGC 3517795 – PK 063+13.1 – PN G063.1+13.9 |
| Constellation | Lyra (Lyr) |
| Observed | 2026 Jul 03 – 01:26 UTC |
| Location | Portsmouth, UK |
| Moon | Waning Gibbous – 78% illuminated – age 19.3 days |
| WordPress categories | Nebula |
Equipment
| Telescope | Skywatcher 127 Mak |
|---|---|
| Camera | ZWO ASI2600MC Pro |
| Mount | Juwei 17 |
| Filter | None |
| Focal length | 1500mm |
| F-ratio | f/11 |
| Pixel scale | 0.52 arcsec/pixel |
Acquisition
| Exposure | 117 x 60s |
|---|---|
| Gain | 100 |
| Guiding RMS | <0.9 |
Observation notes
I used the L-Pro as the filter, forgot to dither but it turned out okay
Processing notes
I did a mask using FAME to bring out the faint galaxy close by.
Posted from AstroLog.