Ring Nebula (Messier 57)

M57, or the Ring Nebula, is a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a sun-like star. The tiny white dot in the center of the nebula is the star’s hot core, called a white dwarf. M57 is about 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra, and is best observed during August. Discovered by the French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in 1779, the Ring Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.8 and can be spotted with moderately sized telescopes.

(NASA Micro observatory)

Garner, Rob. “Messier 57 (The Ring Nebula).” NASA, NASA, 6 Oct. 2017, www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-57-the-ring-nebula.