Planetary nebula · 9 August 2026

M57 Ring Nebula

The ring shape and darker centre were clear despite the risen Moon; the central star was possibly glimpsed at 213× but was recorded as not seen.

Observation notes

The Ring Nebula was clearly visible despite the Moon having risen a few degrees above the north-eastern horizon. The ring shape was distinct and the darker central region could be discerned. At 150× magnification the central star was not seen. With a 14 mm eyepiece and 213× magnification, the darker centre of the nebula became more apparent. On a few isolated occasions the central star may have been glimpsed, but the observation was not secure enough to be regarded as positive. The central star is therefore recorded as not seen.

Visual documentation

Photographic documentation of M57 at the time of observation
Photographic documentation. The image was captured through the telescope with a Nikon D6 at the time of observation and subsequently processed to approximate the object's visual appearance at the eyepiece. For this type of documentation, a single exposure of approximately 10–15 seconds is normally used.

Object location in the sky

Star chart centred on M57 in the constellation Lyra
Visible above the southern horizon around midnight in July.M57 is marked in Lyra. The chart shows the object's astronomical position and nearby constellation lines in the J2000 coordinate system.

Sources for object data

The object data are rounded and based on the following sources:

Published 15 August 2026 · Last revised 29 August 2026 ·
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