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Messier 57 The Ring Nebula

Description:

 

The Ring Nebula (also catalogued as Messier 57, M57 or NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula in the mildly northern constellation of Lyra. Such nebulae are formed by a starburst – ionized gas has expelled into the surrounding interstellar medium by a star to form a vast luminous envelope containing the star in its last stages of its evolution before becoming a white dwarf.

 

This nebula was discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier while searching for comets in late January 1779. Messier's report of his independent discovery of Comet Bode reached fellow French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix two weeks later, who then independently rediscovered the nebula while following the comet. Darquier later reported that it was "...as large as Jupiter and resembles a planet which is fading" (which may have contributed to the use of the persistent "planetary nebula" terminology).

(Wikipedia.org)

 

Technical Information for This Image:

 

Site: Landers, CA, USA Bortle 4

Telescope: TPO Ritchey-Chretien 6 inch with a FL 1370mm.

Guide Scope: Orion 50mm FL 242mm

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI183MC

Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro

Main camera: ASI294MC PRO cooled to -5C. Exposures: 98 x 35s with Gain at 120, Bin 2 x 2

No darks, flats or bias frames.

Guiding Software: PHD 2

Post Processing: PixInsight

Polar Alignment: SharpCap Pro.

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Uploaded on June 5, 2021