The Ring Nebula (M57) is the remnant of a dying sun-like star that is shedding shells of material into the interstellar medium. The star which formed this planetary nebula is now a white dwarf and is visible in the center of the structure. M57 is about 2,300 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.

The Ring Nebula is one of the first objects I viewed through my Tasco 4 ½ reflector many years ago, in part because its core is very bright and easily visible even from light polluted observing sites. This image is a combination of broadband RGB and narrowband Hα/OIII data. The challenge of combining the bright core with the faint outer shells discouraged me from processing this image for three months. The core is easily blown out while the signal from the outermost Hα shell is very weak. I think I am now finished and can move on to other images. Hope you like this.