Ring Nebula: Difference between revisions
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{{for|another object|Ring Nebula (NGC 6822)}} | {{for|another object|Ring Nebula (NGC 6822)}} | ||
{{Infobox Planetary nebula | {{Infobox Planetary nebula | ||
|type= Planetary | | type = Planetary | ||
| name = Ring Nebula | | name = Ring Nebula | ||
| image = Webb captures detailed beauty of Ring Nebula (NIRCam image) (weic2320b).jpg | | image = Webb captures detailed beauty of Ring Nebula (NIRCam image) (weic2320b).jpg | ||
| caption = The Ring Nebula as seen in [[infrared]] and [[visible light]] by a [[multiple exposure]] of images from the [[w:James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Space Telescope]]'s [[NIRCam]], showing an outer layer of [[w:hydrogen|hydrogen]] that is very faint in visible light | | caption = The Ring Nebula as seen in [[infrared]] and [[visible light]] by a [[multiple exposure]] of images from the [[w:James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Space Telescope]]'s [[NIRCam]], showing an outer layer of [[w:hydrogen|hydrogen]] that is very faint in visible light | ||
| credit = [[NASA]]/[[STScI]]/[[Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy|AURA]] | | credit = [[NASA]]/[[STScI]]/[[Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy|AURA]] | ||
| epoch = [[J2000]] | | epoch = [[J2000]] | ||
| ra = {{RA|18|53|35. | | ra = {{RA|18|53|35.097}}<ref name=GaiaDR3/> | ||
| dec = {{DEC|+33|01|44.88}}<ref name=GaiaDR3 /> | |||
| dist_ly = {{val|2570|90|fmt=commas}}<ref name=GaiaDR3 /> | |||
| dist_pc = {{val|790|30}}<ref name=GaiaDR3 /> | |||
| radius_ly = {{val|1.3|0.8|0.4}}{{Ref label|A|a|none}} | |||
| dec = {{DEC|+33|01| | | appmag_v = 8.8<ref name="Murdin2000"> | ||
| dist_ly = {{val| | |||
| dist_pc = {{val| | |||
| radius_ly = {{val|1.3| | |||
| appmag_v = 8.8<ref name="Murdin2000"> | |||
{{cite book | {{cite book | ||
| | | last=Murdin | first=P. | ||
| date=2000 | | date=2000 | ||
| chapter=Ring Nebula (M57, NGC 6720) | | chapter=Ring Nebula (M57, NGC 6720) | ||
| Line 30: | Line 26: | ||
| isbn=978-0-333-75088-9 | | isbn=978-0-333-75088-9 | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
| size_v = | | size_v = {{Val|230|×|230|u=arcsecond}}<ref name="ODelletal2002" /> | ||
| constellation = [[Lyra]] | | constellation = [[Lyra]] | ||
<!-- invalid parameter | diameter_ly = 0.9 ly --> | <!-- invalid parameter | diameter_ly = 0.9 ly --> | ||
| absmag_v = {{val| | | absmag_v = {{val|−0.2|0.7|1.8}}{{Ref label|B|b|none}} | ||
| names = [[Messier object|M]] 57, | | names = [[Messier object|M]] 57, [[New General Catalogue|NGC]] 6720,<ref name="simbad">{{cite simbad | ||
| title=M 57 | |||
| access-date=2006-12-19 |df=ymd | |||
}}</ref> [[Boss General Catalogue|GC]] 4447. | |||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Ring Nebula''' | The '''Ring Nebula''' is a [[planetary nebula]] in the northern [[constellation]] of [[Lyra]],<ref name=coe2007/>{{Ref label|C|C|none}} positioned about mid-way between the prominent stars [[Beta Lyrae|Beta]] and [[Gamma Lyrae]].<ref>{{cite book | ||
| title=The Night Sky Companion: A Yearly Guide to Sky-Watching 2009 | |||
| series=The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series | |||
| first=Tammy | last=Plotner | year=2009 | |||
| publisher=Springer Science & Business Media | |||
| isbn=978-0-387-79509-6 | page=98 | |||
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bTthlUmBQpAC&pg=PA98 | |||
}}</ref> It is catalogued as '''Messier 57''', '''M57''' and '''NGC 6720'''; ''Ring Nebula'' is its proper name. This nebula was discovered [[Charles Messier]] in 1779. It has an [[apparent visual magnitude]] of 8.8, which is too faint to be visible with the [[naked eye]], but it can be readily observed with a small telescope. | |||
[[File:The Ring Nebula M57 Goran Nilsson & The Liverpool Telescope.jpg|thumb|HaRGB image of the Ring Nebula (M57) showing the faint outer shells. The spiral galaxy [[IC 1296]] can also be seen in the top left. Data from the [[Liverpool Telescope]] on [[La Palma]], Islas Canarias ([[Canary Islands]]), [[Spain]].]] | |||
A planetary [[nebula]] is formed when a star, during the last stages of its [[stellar evolution|evolution]] before becoming a [[white dwarf]], expels a vast luminous envelope of ionized gas into the surrounding [[interstellar space]]. The progenitor star for the ring nebula is now a carbon-oxygen [[white dwarf]] with an [[apparent visual magnitude]] of +15.75. Based on [[stellar Parallax|parallax]] measurements, this star is located at a distance of approximately {{convert|2570|ly|pc|abbr=out|lk=on}} from the Sun. After expanding for 1,610 years, the nebula currently has a diameter of {{val|4.6|u=ly}}. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
| Line 153: | Line 162: | ||
The central star was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Jenő Gothard on September 1, 1886, from images taken at his observatory in Herény, near [[Szombathely]]. 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. Thus it no longer produces its energy through [[nuclear fusion]] and, in [[stellar evolution|evolutionary]] terms, it is now becoming a compact [[white dwarf]] star. | The central star was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Jenő Gothard on September 1, 1886, from images taken at his observatory in Herény, near [[Szombathely]]. 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. Thus it no longer produces its energy through [[nuclear fusion]] and, in [[stellar evolution|evolutionary]] terms, it is now becoming a compact [[white dwarf]] star. | ||
The central star now consists primarily of [[carbon]] and [[oxygen]] with a thin outer envelope composed of lighter elements. Its mass is about {{Solar mass|0.61–0.62}}, with a surface temperature of {{val|fmt=commas|125,000|5,000|ul=K}}. Currently it is | The central star now consists primarily of [[carbon]] and [[oxygen]] with a thin outer envelope composed of lighter elements. Its mass is about {{Solar mass|0.61–0.62}}, with a surface temperature of {{val|fmt=commas|125,000|5,000|ul=K}}. Currently it is about 300 times more luminous than the [[Sun]],<ref name=Sahai/> but its [[apparent magnitude]] is only +15.75.<ref name=apj134> | ||
{{cite journal | {{cite journal | ||
| last=O'Dell | first=C. R. | | last=O'Dell | first=C. R. | ||
| Line 163: | Line 172: | ||
| bibcode=2007AJ....134.1679O | | bibcode=2007AJ....134.1679O | ||
| doi=10.1086/521823 | | doi=10.1086/521823 | ||
| doi-access=free | | doi-access=free}}</ref> | ||
In 2025 [[James Webb Space Telescope|JWST]] observed a dust disk around the central star.<ref>{{cite | In 2025 [[James Webb Space Telescope|JWST]] observed a dust disk around the central star.<ref name=Sahai>{{cite journal |arxiv=2504.01188 |last1=Sahai |first1=Raghvendra |author2=Griet Van de Steene |author3=Peter van Hoof |last4=Zijlstra |first4=Albert |last5=Volk |first5=Kevin |last6=Dinerstein |first6=Harriet L. |last7=Barlow |first7=Michael J. |last8=Peeters |first8=Els |last9=Manchado |first9=Arturo |last10=Matsuura |first10=Mikako |last11=Cami |first11=Jan |last12=Cox |first12=Nick L. J. |last13=Aleman |first13=Isabel |last14=Bernard-Salas |first14=Jeronimo |last15=Clark |first15=Nicholas |last16=Justtanont |first16=Kay |last17=Kaplan |first17=Kyle F. |last18=Kavanagh |first18=Patrick J. |last19=Wesson |first19=Roger |title=JWST observations of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720): III. A dusty disk around its Central Star |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=2025 |volume=985 |issue=1 |page=101 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/adc91c |doi-access=free |bibcode=2025ApJ...985..101S }}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 185: | Line 194: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist|30em|refs= | {{reflist|30em|refs= | ||
<ref name=GaiaDR3>{{cite Gaia DR3 | 2090486618786534784 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=coe2007>{{Cite book | first1=Steven R. | last1=Coe | title=Nebulae and how to observe them | series=Astronomers' observing guides | publisher=Springer | date=2007 | isbn=978-1-84628-482-3 | page=111 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=roXyxpcc9MsC&pg=PA111}}</ref> | <ref name=coe2007>{{Cite book | first1=Steven R. | last1=Coe | title=Nebulae and how to observe them | series=Astronomers' observing guides | publisher=Springer | date=2007 | isbn=978-1-84628-482-3 | page=111 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=roXyxpcc9MsC&pg=PA111}}</ref> | ||
Latest revision as of 17:50, 7 November 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Template:Infobox Planetary nebula
The Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra,[1]<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[C] positioned about mid-way between the prominent stars Beta and Gamma Lyrae.[2] It is catalogued as Messier 57, M57 and NGC 6720; Ring Nebula is its proper name. This nebula was discovered Charles Messier in 1779. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 8.8, which is too faint to be visible with the naked eye, but it can be readily observed with a small telescope.
A planetary 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. The progenitor star for the ring nebula is now a carbon-oxygen white dwarf with an apparent visual magnitude of +15.75. Based on parallax measurements, this star is located at a distance of approximately Template:Convert from the Sun. After expanding for 1,610 years, the nebula currently has a diameter of Template:Val.
History
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).[3] It would be entered into Messier's catalogue as the 57th object. Messier and German-born astronomer William Herschel speculated that the nebula was formed by multiple faint stars that were unresolvable with his telescope.[4][5]
In 1800, German Count Friedrich von Hahn announced that he had discovered the faint central star at the heart of the nebula a few years earlier. He also noted that the interior of the ring had undergone changes, and said he could no longer find the central star.[6] In 1864, English amateur astronomer William Huggins examined the spectra of multiple nebulae, discovering that some of these objects, including M57, displayed the spectra of bright emission lines characteristic of fluorescing glowing gases. Huggins concluded that most planetary nebulae were not composed of unresolved stars, as had been previously suspected, but were nebulosities.[7][8] The nebula was first photographed by the Hungarian astronomer Eugene von Gothard in 1886.[6]
Observation
M57 is found south of the bright star Vega, which forms the northwestern vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. The nebula lies about 40% of the distance from Beta (β) to Gamma (γ) Lyrae, making it an easy target for amateur astronomers to find.[9]
The nebula disk has an angular size of 1.5 × 1 arcminutes, making it too small to be resolved with 10×50 binoculars.[9] It is best observed using a telescope with an aperture of at least Template:Convert, but even a Template:Convert telescope will reveal its elliptical ring shape.[10] Using a UHC or OIII filter greatly enhances visual observation, particularly in light polluted areas. The interior hole can be resolved by a Template:Convert instrument at a magnification of 100×.[9] Larger instruments will show a few darker zones on the eastern and western edges of the ring and some faint nebulosity inside the disk.[11] The central star, at magnitude 14.8, is difficult to spot.[10]
Properties
M57 is Template:Convert from Earth.[12] It has a visual magnitude of 8.8 and a dimmer photographic magnitude, of 9.7. Photographs taken over a period of 50 years[13] show the rate of nebula expansion is roughly 1 arcsecond per century, which corresponds to spectroscopic observations as 20–Template:Val. M57 is illuminated by a central white dwarf of 15.75v visual magnitude.[14]
All the interior parts of this nebula have a blue-green tinge that is caused by the doubly ionized oxygen emission lines at 495.7 and 500.7 nm. These observed so-called "forbidden lines" occur only in conditions of very low density containing a few atoms per cubic centimeter. In the outer region of the ring, part of the reddish hue is caused by hydrogen emission at 656.3 nm, forming part of the Balmer series of lines. Forbidden lines of ionized nitrogen or N II contribute to the reddishness at 654.8 and 658.3 nm.[13]
Nebula structure
M57 is of the class of such starburst nebulae known as bipolar, whose thick equatorial rings visibly extend the structure through its main axis of symmetry. It appears to be a prolate spheroid with strong concentrations of material along its equator. From Earth, the symmetrical axis is viewed at about 30°. Overall, the observed nebulosity has been currently estimated to be expanding for approximately 1,610 ± 240 years.
Structural studies find this planetary nebula exhibits knots characterized by well-developed symmetry. However, these are only silhouettes visible against the background emission of the nebula's equatorial ring. M57 may include internal N II emission lines located at the knots' tips that face the central star; however, most of these knots are neutral and appear only in extinction lines. Their existence shows they are probably only located closer to the ionization front than those found in the Lupus planetary IC 4406. Some of the knots do exhibit well-developed tails which are often detectable in optical thickness from the visual spectrum.[15][16]
Central star
The central star was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Jenő Gothard on September 1, 1886, from images taken at his observatory in Herény, near Szombathely. 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. Thus it no longer produces its energy through nuclear fusion and, in evolutionary terms, it is now becoming a compact white dwarf star.
The central star now consists primarily of carbon and oxygen with a thin outer envelope composed of lighter elements. Its mass is about Template:Solar mass, with a surface temperature of Template:Val. Currently it is about 300 times more luminous than the Sun,[17] but its apparent magnitude is only +15.75.[14]
In 2025 JWST observed a dust disk around the central star.[17]
See also
- List of planetary nebulae
- Messier object
- New General Catalogue
- List of Messier objects
- NGC 6565, which is undergoing a similar process and is of the same type
Notes
- <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Radius = distance × sin(angular size / 2) = Template:Val * sin(230″ / 2) = Template:Val
- <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ 8.8 apparent magnitude − 5 × (log10(Template:Val distance / 10 pc)) = Template:Val absolute magnitude
- <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>^ Specifically in the north of Lyra which makes it visible from everywhere above about the 47th parallel south. However the Sun passes through Sagittarius far to the south (or technically the Earth orbits so as to make the Sun seem to do so) throughout December. This also makes the cluster mostly risen during day, not night, in the nearest months but will never impede pre-dawn and post-sunset views from the upper half of northerly latitudes.
References
External links
- WorldWide Telescope
- M57 Calar Alto Observatory
- Messier 57 SEDS
- Astronomy Picture of the Day
- Infrared Ring Nebula (2005 March 11)
- Ring Nebula Deep Field (2009 November 6)
- M57: The Ring Nebula (2009 November 15)
- The Scale of the Universe – Interactive (2012 March 12)
- M57 – Planetary Nebula in Lyra NightSkyInfo
- M57 Template:Webarchive ESA/Hubble
- Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra Constellation Guide (May 26, 2013)
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