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Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler
Explanation:
The
Ring Nebula (M57),
is more complicated than it appears through a small telescope.
The easily visible
central ring is about one
light-year across,
but this remarkably deep exposure -
a collaborative effort combining data from three different large telescopes -
explores
the looping filaments of glowing gas extending much farther from
the nebula's central star.
This
composite image includes red light emitted by hydrogen as well as
visible and infrared light.
The Ring Nebula is an elongated
planetary nebula, a type of nebula created when a
Sun-like star evolves to
throw off its outer atmosphere to become a
white dwarf star.
The Ring Nebula is about 2,500 light-years away toward the musical
constellation
Lyra.
Amateur Astronomers: Please take the
Night Sky Network's Survey
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Ring Nebula - M 57
Publications with words: Ring Nebula - M 57
See also: