Discovery
When was the Ring Nebula discovered?
1977
The Ring Nebula was first discovered in 1779. It was described as being about the size of Jupiter but brightest only at the edges.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/ring-nebula-true-structure-revealed/
When was the Ring Nebula photographed by NASA and ESA's James Webb Space Telescope?
August 2022
The Ring Nebula was imaged by NASA and ESA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in August 2022. A composite image of the nebula, obtained using three different filters, was released in August 2023. The high-resolution images of M57 were captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIR Cam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
https://www.constellation-guide.com/ring-nebula-m57-in-lyra/
How hot is the Ring Nebula?
100,000 Kelvin
The Ring Nebula has a temperature of over 100,000 K (Kelvin), which is much hotter than the Sun's temperature of 5,778 K.
How far away is the Ring Nebula?
About 2,000 light-years away
The Ring Nebula is about 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra and is best observed during August. This means that the light we see from the Ring Nebula today left the nebula approximately 2,000 years ago
What kind of nebula is the Ring Nebula?
A Planetary Nebula
Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula.
Who discovered the Ring Nebula?
Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix and Charles Messier
The Ring Nebula was discovered independently by two French astronomers, Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix and Charles Messier, in 1779. The formation now bears Messier’s name and is documented in the extensive Messier Catalog that the astronomer compiled during his career. However, Messier’s notes in his catalog indicate that Pellepoix was the first to discover the Ring Nebula.
Will we be able to see the Ring Nebula forever?
No
Over time, the Ring Nebula will continue to expand and disperse into space. Eventually, it will become too faint to see and will fade into obscurity.
How bright is the Ring Nebula?
The Ring Nebula has a visual magnitude of 8.8 and a photographic magnitude of 9.7
This means it is not sufficiently bright to be observed with the naked eye of Earth but can easily be viewed through a medium-power telescope and appears dimmer when photographed.
What constellation is the Ring Nebula located in?
Lyra
The nebula is approximately 2,000 miles away from the constellation Lyra. It is pretty close to Vega, the constellation’s brightest star.
https://theplanets.org/nebula-facts/ring-nebula/
How many light years across is the Ring Nebula?
Roughly 1 Light Year
The Ring Nebula has a diameter of approximately 1 light-year, which is relatively small in astronomical terms. However, it is still one of the largest and most impressive planetary nebulae in the night sky.
What aided in the discovery of the Ring Nebula?
The Comet of 1779
The Ring Nebula’s discovery was aided by observation of a nearby comet called the Comet of 1779.
How many globules are located in the Ring Nebula's bright shell?
Around 20,000
The James Webb Space Telescope images of the Ring Nebula reported around 20,000 dense globules with an average diameter of 0.2 arcseconds in the nebula’s bright shell.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/ring-nebula-m57-in-lyra/
How long ago did the Ring Nebula form?
Approximately 8,000 Years Old
The Ring Nebula is believed to be approximately 8,000 years old. It was created when a star like our Sun reached the end of its life and ejected its outer layers into space. The central star of the Ring Nebula is a white dwarf, which is the remnant of the original star.
Which asterism is the Ring Nebula located in?
The Summer Triangle
The Ring Nebula is part of the Summer Triangle, a trio of Vega, Deneb, and Altair stars. The Summer Triangle is a staple sight in the northern sky in summer.
What shape is the Ring Nebula?
A Bicycle Wheel
The Ring Nebula is less ring-like than its original observers realized. Its complex internal shapes resemble footballs, doughnuts, and knots with tails, leading some to describe it as a “bicycle wheel” nebula. The surrounding structure will shift and change as the nebula expands into space.
Who discovered the central star?
Jeno Gothard
The central star was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Jeno Gothard on September 1, 1886, from images taken at his observatory in Hungary. Within the last two thousand years, the central star of the Ring Nebula has left the asymptotic giant branch after exhausting its supply of hydrogen fuel. It no longer produces its energy through nuclear fusion; in evolutionary terms, it is now becoming a compact white dwarf star.
Ultraviolet and Infrared
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured some of the Ring Nebula's most stunning and detailed images. In addition to the visible light images, the Hubble has also captured images in other wavelengths of light, such as ultraviolet and infrared, revealing new details about the nebula's structure and composition.
What are the Ring Nebula's rings made of?
Helium, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur
The Ring Nebula consists of an inmost white dwarf star surrounded by an inner ring of helium gas, then rings of oxygen and hydrogen, all surrounded by an external ring of nitrogen and sulfur gas. These gas rings were once the outer perimeter of the star itself, which has now been reduced to a very small white circle in the center of the gaseous rings.
The Ring Nebula was originally thought to be what?
A Planet
The Ring Nebula is distinguished by being just one of four planetary nebula in Charles Messier’s catalog of more than 100 entries. Such a nebula is called “planetary nebula” because early astronomy telescopes were not powerful enough to determine the difference between a planetary shape and a nebula shape. The Ring Nebula was initially thought to be a planet rather than the remains of a star explosion.
What is in the center of the Ring Nebula?
A White Dwarf star
The tiny white circle or dot in the nebula's center is the remains of what used to be a star. The star is now known as a white dwarf, which is what a star in the last stages of its lifespan is termed.
What telescope made it possible to observe the Ring Nebula?
The Hubble Telescope
The invention and launch of the Hubble Telescope into deep space made it possible to observe the Ring Nebula in more detail than ever before. Photographs taken by Hubble have been enhanced with color to outline where different types of gases intersect and interact in the rings around the central white dwarf star itself.
What can astronomers learn from the colors of the gas and dust emitted from the Ring Nebula?
Information About the Chemical Processes Occurring
Astronomers can glean information about the chemical processes occurring in the planetary nebula by analyzing the colors their gas and dust emit as the stars in their centers blast it with radiation. The material in planetary nebulas like the Ring Nebula is enriched with the heavy elements forged during the life of the dead star that created it.
https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-ring-nebula-dead-star
How many regions does the Ring Nebula have?
Three
The Ring Nebula has three distinct regions: the central cavity, the bright shell, and the halo. The central cavity appears spherical and has a radius of about 25 arcseconds. It has a linear structure that appears as two brighter stripes on either side of the progenitor star.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/ring-nebula-m57-in-lyra/
What other features is the Ring Nebula home to?
Dark Nebulae and Globular Clusters
In addition to its central star and complex structure of gas and dust, the Ring Nebula is also home to several interesting features, such as dark nebulae and globular clusters. These features provide important clues about the processes involved in forming and evolving stars and planetary systems.
How do planetary nebula like the Ring Nebula form?
From Exhausted Stars
Like all planetary nebulae, the Ring Nebula was formed when an evolved red giant star expelled its outer envelope of ionized gas into space. As the clouds of ejected material expand into the interstellar medium, they are energized by the ultraviolet light of the hot stellar remnant that will soon cool and fade as a white dwarf.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/ring-nebula-m57-in-lyra/