Messier 57 (M 57)

Introduction | Map | Find/Identify | Sketch | My Best Own Photos | My Own Observations | References || Appendix: My Own Photos

On this page I collect my observations of the planetary nebula M 57 (NGC 6720), called Ring Nebula, in the constellation Lyra.

Introduction

The Ring Nebula M 57 in the constellation Lyra is a planetary nebula and an interesting observation object, because, under favorable conditions, you may be able to recognize a ring structure visually. However, I only saw the ring really well at the observatory in Betz, France, with a larger telescope.

In the eVscope or Vespera, however, the ring can be recognized well, even though M 57 is already very small in the Vespera.

Nearby (about 4') to M 57 is the barred spiral galaxy IC 1296, which is barely visible in most photos, because it is so faint (about 15 mag). I came across it by chance via an entry in a Facebook group (July 8, 2024). I randomly selected an eVscope 2 photo and checked whether nova.astrometry.net was able to find the galaxy. The galaxy was indeed found!

Observation Notes from Wikipedia (English/German Version)

English version: The nebula disk has an angular size of 1.5 × 1 arcminutes (!!!), making it too small to be resolved with 10×50 binoculars. It is best observed using a telescope with an aperture of at least 20 cm (8 in), but even a 7.5 cm (3 in) telescope will reveal its elliptical ring shape. The interior hole can be resolved by a 10 cm (4 in) instrument at a magnification of 100×. Larger instruments will show a few darker zones on the eastern and western edges of the ring, and some faint nebulosity inside the disk. The central star, at magnitude 14.8, is difficult to spot. (From: Ring Nebula (Wikipedia))

German Version (translated): M 57 can already be perceived as a foggy "smoke ring" in a small telescope from 10 cm aperture. It is, however, relatively small, so that higher magnifications (> 100) are indicated. In telescopes with an aperture of more than 20 cm, structures in the ring become visible at higher magnifications. The central star, however, is extremely faint, havin an apparent brightness of 15.8 m. To observe it, you need a telescope of at least 25 cm aperture. (From: Ringnebel (Wikipedia))

Map

M 57 in Lyra, M 56 is nearby, double star Albireo, too, and the two Hercules clusters M 13 and M 92 are not too far away... (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Find/Identify

Find: M 57 is located between the stars Sulafat and Sheliak in constellation Lyra (see maps above and below).

Identify: In small magnifications, M 57 appears like a star, in slightly higher magnifications M 57 becomes a "blurred star", and only from a magnification of about 100 x and up, the ring can be recognized. (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Sketch

The sketch by Michael Vlasov (DeepSkyWatch.com) provides a rough impression of what I observed: Sketch of M 57 (Ring Nebula) by Michael Vlasov (Copyright © Michael Vlasov 2016)

Note: I only have the author's permission to link to the sketch.

My Best Own Photos

Atik Infinity & Explorer 150PDS (December 31, 2017)

M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), unprocessed		Ditto, post-processed		Ditto, post-processed (16 bits)

eVscope

M 57 - Jun 12, 2020		M 57 - Aug 24, 2020		M 57 - Sep 15, 2020
M 57 - Jun 12, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 24, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Sep 15, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Jul 18, 2021		M 57 - Aug 20, 2021		M 57 - Oct 7, 2021
M 57 - Jul 18, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Oct 7, 2021, photo on top processed

eVscope 2 (3)

M 57 - Aug 21, 2023		M 57 - Aug 21, 2023, photo left processed		M 57 - Dec 18, 2023, 3 min
		Evaluation with nova.astrometry.net

Vespera

M 57 - Jul 30, 2022, original (24 frames = 240s)

Vespera Pro

M 57 - Jul 8, 2024, 1800p (60 frames = 600s)		M 57 - Jul 8, 2024, 1800p (60 frames = 600s), processed
Evaluation with nova.astrometry.net > IC 1296

My Own Observations

Observations Summer to Autumn 2016

• September 7, 2016 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Skymax-102 on the GoTo mount) and September 9, 2016(ditto: Heritage P130 on GoTo mount): Observed M 57 - the nebula was small and faint, and the ring was, at best, to be adumbrated at higher magnifications.
• End of September/beginning of October 2016 (Sumène, Haute Loire, France: Heritage 100P): In spite of several attempts, I was not able to find M 57 (ditto in September 2017).

Note: Observation by someone else: At around 100 x you should see that it's a ring, if the sky is truly dark it should be very obvious.

Observations August 2018

• Aug 19, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Skymax-102, Skymax-127, Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto Mount): M 57 observed with both tubes; for the first time, M 57 was well visible at different magnifications, perhaps even (with indirect viewing...) that it has a ring shape - I was pleasantly surprised!

Observations September to November 2018

• Sep 28, 2018 (Sumène, France: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount): M 57 observed with PS 72/432 and not seen much - small...
• Oct 5, 2018 (Betz, France: telescope forgotten): M 57 well to see, even the "hole"
• Oct 12, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS 72/432, AZ Pronto Mount, Heritage 100P): Observed M 57 (Ring Nebula) up to 108 x/114 x, partly with a hole at the center at higher magnifications.
• Nov 12, 2018 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Heritage 100P): Observed M 57 with the telescope at different magnifications; no ring.

Observations August 2019

• Aug 26, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Explorer 150PDS on Star Discovery GoTo Mount, Starsense): M 57 observed at different magnifications, M 57 was well visible at different magnifications, even that it has a ring shape - I was pleasantly surprised!

Observations September/October 2019

• Oct 3, 2019 (Sumène, France: StarTravel 120/600 on AZ Pronto Mount): M 57 (24, 10, 7, 4 mm) not found with 24 mm, but found with 10 mm and shorter; also observed with 7 and 4 mm; guessed a hole/ring at 4 mm...

Observations December 2019

• Dec 10, 2019 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C8 on Star Discovery GoTo Mount, Skymax-127 on Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto Mount): M 57 with C8 and 35 mm eyepiece the ring could at least be suspected with averted vision, with 28 mm eyepiece the ring was recognizable more clearly; in the SM127 (24 mm), the ring nebula was just a "round glow"...

Observations April to November 2020

• April 15, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed in the morning.
• June 11, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed in the new rectangular format without overlay
• June 12, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.).
• July 3, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), sky too bright
• July 9, 2020 (Ulm: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• July 18, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• August 9, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• September 4, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), not usable...
• September 15, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• September 30, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• November 2, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
• November 5, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: TLAPO1027 on AZ4 mount): M 57 observed; faint, but guessed the ring
• November 24, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.)

Observations July to December 2021

• July 18, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, poor collimation despite new collimation
• August 11, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C5 on AZ-GTi, C8 on Star Discovery): M 57 observed; ring visible with both tubes, so we saw the hole in the center (at the end, I found M 57 also with the C5...)
• August 13, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C5 on AZ Pronto): M 57 observed; ring recognizable, so saw the hole in the center, also with 7 mm (approx. 180 x), but then faint...
• August 14, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: C8 on Star Discovery): M 57 observed; ring nicely visible
• August 20, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, better new collimation
• August 25, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing; clouds, but not around M 57...
• September 2, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: PS72 on AZ-GTi mount, ASI224): M 57 photographed
• September 4, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: TLAPO1027 on Star Discovery mount, ASI224 ): M 57 photographed
• October 7, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
• October 9, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, somewhat fuzzy
• October 16, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope): M 57 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
• December 10, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope 2): M 57 photographed

Observations July 2022

• July 30, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): M 57 photographed

Observations August to December 2023

• August 21, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): M 57 photographed together with IC 1296; new image processing (DDT)
• December 18, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): M 57 photographed; new image processing (DDT)

Observations July 2024

• July 8, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): M 57 photographed (10 min; with galaxy IC 1296 on evaluation)

References

• Messier Catalogue - Messier 57: messier.seds.org/m/m057.html
• Ring Nebula (Wikipedia): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_Nebula
• Ringnebel (Wikipedia): de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringnebel
• IC 1296 (Wikipedia): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_1296

On this Site

• Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P Information (4" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Heritage P130 Information (5" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Explorer 150PDS Information (6" Newton)
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-102 OTA Information (4" Maksutov-Cassegrain)
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-127 OTA Information (5" Maksutov-Cassegrain)
• Omegon Photography Scope 72/432 ED OTA Information (2.8" Refractor)
• Sky-Watcher StarTravel 120/600 OTA Information (4.7" Refractor, Borrowed)
• TS Optics Photoline 102/715 Information (4" Refractor)
• Celestron C5 OTA - Informationen (5" Schmidt-Cassegrain)
• Celestron C8 OTA Information (8" Schmidt-Cassegrain)
• Unistellar eVscope Information
• Unistellar eVscope 2 Information
• Vaonis Vespera - Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi AZ GoTo Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto Mount Information
• Sky-Watcher AZ4 Mount Information
• Atik Infinity Colour Camera Information
• ZWO ASI224 Color Camera - Information

Appendix: My Own Photos

Atik Infinity & Heritage 100P (November 29, 2017)

M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), unprocessed		M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), post-processed

Atik Infinity & Heritage 100P (December 7, 2017)

With Barlow Lens (2 x)

M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), unprocessed		Ditto, post-processed		Ditto, more "aggressively" post-processed

With Focal Extender (2 x)

M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), unprocessed		Ditto, post-processed		Ditto, more "aggressively" post-processed

Atik Infinity & Explorer 150PDS (December 31, 2017)

M 57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), unprocessed		Ditto, post-processed		Ditto, post-processed (16 bits)

ZWO ASI224 at Omegon PS 72/432

M 57 - Sep 2, 2021, 72frames, 5sec, gain300, processed

ZWO ASI224 at TS-Optics TLAPO1027

M 57- Sep 4, 2021, 73frames, 5sec, gain300		M 57- Sep 4, 20121, 73frames, 5sec, gain300, processed

eVscope

M 57 - Apr 15, 2020		M 57 - Apr 15, 2020
M 57 - Apr 15, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Apr 15, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Jun 11, 2020		M 57 - Jun 12, 2020		M 57 - Jul 3, 2020, sky too bright
M 57 - Jun 11, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Jun 12, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Jul 3, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Jul 9, 2020		M 57 - Jul 18, 2020		M 57 - Aug 9, 2020
M 57 - Jul 9, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Jul 18, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 9, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Aug 9, 2020		M 57 - Aug 24, 2020		M 57 - Aug 25, 2020
M 57 - Aug 9, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 24, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 25, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Sep 15, 2020		M 57 - Sep 30, 2020		M 57 - Nov 2, 2020
M 57 - Sep 15, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Sep 30, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Nov 2, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Nov 2, 2020		M 57 - Nov 24, 2020		M 57 - Nov 24, 2020
M 57 - Nov 2, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed		M 57 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed
M 57 - Jul 18, 2021		M 57 - Aug 20, 2021		M 57 - Aug 25, 2021
M 57 - Jul 18, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 20, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Aug 25, 2021, photo on top processed
M 57 - Oct 7, 2021		M 57 - Oct 9, 2021, somewhat fuzzy		M 57 - Oct 16, 2021
M 57 - Oct 7, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Oct 9, 2021, photo on top processed		M 57 - Oct 16, 2021, photo on top processed

eVscope 2

M 57 - Dec 10, 2021		M 57 - Dec 10, 2021		M 57 - Dec 10, 2021, photo left processed

eVscope 2 (3)

M 57 - Aug 21, 2023		M 57 - Aug 21, 2023, photo left processed		M 57 - Dec 18, 2023, 3 min
		Evaluation with nova.astrometry.net

Vespera

M 57 - Jul 30, 2022, original (24 frames = 240s)

Vespera Pro

M 57 - Jul 8, 2024, 1800p (60 frames = 600s)		M 57 - Jul 8, 2024, 1800p (60 frames = 600s), processed
Evaluation with nova.astrometry.net > IC 1296