The Ring Nebula, the beautiful dying throes of an ageing star

Facts and images about the Ring Nebula, M57, a planetary nebula found 2,000 lightyears away in Lyra.

By Iain Todd

Published: Tuesday, 17 September 2024 at 08:32 AM

The Ring Nebula, also known as M57, is a planetary nebula found 2,000 lightyears away in the Lyra constellation.

It’s special because it’s one of the most iconic and beautiful planetary nebulae known to astronomers and astrophotographers, angled towards Earth so we can marvel at its majestic appearance.

The Ring Nebula is also known at M57, the 57th entry in Charles Messier‘s famous catalogue of deep-sky objects, known as the Messier Catalogue.

It was discovered by French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in January 1779.

This image is a composite of the Ring Nebula (Messier 57) combining Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 data with observations of the nebula’s outer halo from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, USA.

What is the Ring Nebula?

The Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula.

Planetary nebulae like the Ring Nebula have nothing to do with planets, but are a result of an ageing, Sun-like star ejecting cosmic material into space, producing a spherical, puffed-out shape.

The Ring Nebula is no different: it has a dying star at its centre and this is the reason it has a large, ring-like structure.

Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that the Ring Nebula actually consists of an inner, rugby ball-shaped region of gas seen end-on from Earth (blue in the image below) that is piercing the outer red ring-shaped material.

Read our guide to the best planetary nebulae to spot in the night sky.

Hubble has helped to define the shape of the Ring Nebula, revealing it to be doughnut shaped, with lower density material at its core. Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Hubble has helped to define the shape of the Ring Nebula, revealing it to be doughnut shaped, with lower density material at its core. Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

In August 2023, astronomers released a beautiful James Webb Space Telescope image of the Ring Nebula that shows off the object in wonderful detail.

The Webb images of the Ring Nebula show it in infrared, giving astronomers a new look at this familiar object.

A split view of the Ring Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The image on the left shows Webb’s NIRCam view and the image on the right shows Webb’s MIRI image. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
A split view of the Ring Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The image on the left shows Webb’s NIRCam view and the image on the right shows Webb’s MIRI image. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson

How to find the Ring Nebula

The nebula lies south of the bright star Vega, which makes up the famous asterism the Summer Triangle (one of the best summer constellations and asterisms, in our opinion).

A good trick for locating the Ring Nebula is to find stars Sulafat and Sheliak in Lyra.

The Ring Nebula sits three-fifths of the way along the line from Sulafat the second brightest star in the contellation, towards Sheliak.

Location of the star Sulafat in the constellation Lyra. Credit: Pete Lawrence
Use Sulafat and Sheliak in Lyra to help you find M57, the Ring Nebula. Click to expand. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Images

Below is a selection of images of the Ring Nebula captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers and astrophotographers from around the world.

For more information about astrophotography, read our astrophotography guides or find out our pick of the best astrophotography cameras.

If sketching is more your thing, read our guide on how to draw a nebula.

And don’t forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

M57, the Ring Nebula James Webb Space Telescope, 21 August 2023 Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
M57, the Ring NebulaJames Webb Space Telescope, 21 August 2023Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
A view of the Ring Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
A view of the Ring Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson
This image is a composite of the Ring Nebula (Messier 57) combining ubble Wide Field Camera 3 data with observations of the nebula’s outer halo from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, USA.
This image is a composite of the Ring Nebula (Messier 57) combining ubble Wide Field Camera 3 data with observations of the nebula’s outer halo from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, USA.
Hubble has helped to define the shape of the Ring Nebula, revealing it to be doughnut shaped, with lower density material at its core. Credit: Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Hubble has helped to define the shape of the Ring Nebula, revealing it to be doughnut shaped, with lower density material at its core. Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Ring Nebula, M57 by Ronald Piacenti Junior, Padre Bernardo, Goias, Brazil.
Ring Nebula, M57 by Ronald Piacenti Junior, Padre Bernardo, Goias, Brazil. Equipment: Celestron XLT C6 Schmidt Cassegrain, SkyWatcher HEQ5Pro Mount, ZWO ASI174MC camera.
M57 - Ring Nebula by Mark Large, Colchester, UK.
M57 – Ring Nebula by Mark Large, Colchester, UK. Equipment: Altair Astro 10 inch RCT and a modified Canon EOS 1000D.
M57 Ring Nebula by Martin Pyott, St Andrews, Fife, UK.
M57 Ring Nebula by Martin Pyott, St Andrews, Fife, UK. Equipment: LUNT 80mm ED Refractor, ZWO ASI 120 MC-S CMOS Planetary webcam.
M57 - Ring Nebula by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK.
M57 – Ring Nebula by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 150p, HEQ5 Pro GOTO, Modded Canon 1000d, CLS Clip Filter, Skywatcher Coma Corrector, QHY5L-II, PHD2, ST80 Guidescope.
Ring Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, JK Observatory, London.
Ring Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, JK Observatory, London. Equipment: Altair Astro RC 250 TT, QSI 690 CCD EQ8 Mount, 3 x 1 subs LRGB
M57 - Ring Nebula by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK.
M57 – Ring Nebula by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 150 6″, EQ3-2 mount, Unmodded Canon 350d.
Ring Nebula by Stephen Gill, Yorkshire Dales, UK.
Ring Nebula by Stephen Gill, Yorkshire Dales, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 on NEQ6 mount, modified Canon 600D.
M57 Credit: André van der Hoeven, Terry Hancock, Fred Herrmann, Mike van den Berg and Mathijn Ippel, The Netherlands/USA.
M57 Credit: André van der Hoeven, Terry Hancock, Fred Herrmann, Mike van den Berg and Mathijn Ippel, The Netherlands/USA. Equipment: Celestron C11 with SXV-H9, Astro-tech 12″ RC with SBIG STT-8300, Astro-tech 12″ RC with QHY-9, Planewave 12,5″ with SBIG ST-11000, Planewave 17″ with SBIG ST-11000
M57 - The Ring Nebula by David Burr, Wimborne, Dorset, UK.
M57 – The Ring Nebula by David Burr, Wimborne, Dorset, UK. Equipment: Celestron C8-SGT with Canon 500d digital camera.
M57 The Ring Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK.
M57 The Ring Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron c11 sct, skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Canon Eos 1100d self-modified and Astronomik CLS CCD clip filter.
Ring Nebula by Thomas Davison, Somerset, UK.
Ring Nebula by Thomas Davison, Somerset, UK. Equipment: 130mm Reflector, Adapted webcam.
M 57 by Peter Taylor, UK.
M 57 by Peter Taylor, UK. Equipment: Meade RCX400 10″ Camera SX H9C, SX Lodestar ZS80IIED, PHD, Photoshop, Maxim.
M57 and it's outer rings by Anna Morris, Norton, Suffolk, UK.
M57 and it’s outer rings by Anna Morris, Norton, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Celestron CPC800XLT, Atik 314L , StarlightXpress Lodestar, Astronomik Ha, L, R, G, B.
M57 Ring nebula by Alan Mcgough, Manchester, UK.
M57 Ring nebula by Alan Mcgough, Manchester, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher Skymax 127 5″ Maksutov scope, Canon 1000D DSLR.