Emission nebula | |
---|---|
Planetary nebula | |
![]() The Ring Nebula as seen in infrared and visible light by a multiple exposure of images from the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam, showing an outer layer of hydrogen that is very faint in visible light | |
Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
Right ascension | 18h 53m 35.079s[1] |
Declination | +33° 01′ 45.03″[1] |
Distance | 2567±115[1] ly (787±35[1] pc) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.8[2] |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 230″ × 230″[3] |
Constellation | Lyra |
Physical characteristics | |
Radius | 1.3+0.8 −0.4[a] ly |
Absolute magnitude (V) | −0.2+0.7 −1.8[b] |
Designations | M 57,[1] NGC 6720,[1] GC 4447. |
The Ring Nebula (also catalogued as Messier 57, M57 and NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra.[4][C] Such a nebula is formed when a star, during the last stages of its evolution before becoming a white dwarf, expels a vast luminous envelope of ionized gas into the surrounding interstellar space.
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