AstroPioneer

The Ring Nebula also known as Messier 57 (M57) is a great object to find in the summer months as it is bright enough to stand out against the lighter sky as well as being visible in telescopes of 60 millimetres aperture or larger. The nebula was discovered in January 1779 by Charles Messier is estimated to be between 1,000 and 5,000 light-years away from Earth. This is not a normal nebula, but a planetary nebula these occurs when a shell of ionized gas, usually mostly hydrogen and helium, is ejected from an old red giant star. Leaving a nebulas gas with a small hot central star. The central star in the Ring Nebula is too faint to be viewed in any telescope less than 12 inches in aperture. How to find the Ring Nebula? Click to enlarge Ring Nebula star chart To find the Ring Nebula first locate the bright star Vega one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere during summertime. Then head down from Vega and slightly to the south a short way away you will find two stars bright e