Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Lyra (Lyr)  ·  Contains:  IC 1296  ·  M 57  ·  NGC 6720  ·  PK063+13.1  ·  Ring Nebula
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M 57, NGC 6720 Ring Nebula, rdhand
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M 57, NGC 6720 Ring Nebula

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M 57, NGC 6720 Ring Nebula, rdhand
Powered byPixInsight

M 57, NGC 6720 Ring Nebula

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Description

The Ring Nebula (NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula. Planetary nebula have nothing to do with planets.  Their shape confused early astronomers. They actually represent the beautiful death throes of a medium-sized star when the star blows off its outer layers.  The nebula then expands, cools and fades away over thousands of years.  The star becomes a white dwarf and slowly cools for trillions of years.  This nebula is about 2300 light-years distant and one light-year across.

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M 57, NGC 6720 Ring Nebula, rdhand

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Cloudy Nights

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Messier
Planetary Nebula