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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M57

Ring Nebula (M57) Observation Details

M57

M57 Daily Motion


M57 will be visible until December, 26, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M57 Visibility Timetable on January 21

Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
M57 transit11:2083°
Sunset17:3717°
Civil sunset18:0712°
Astrosession begin19:133°
M57 set19:31
Moon Rise, 46.2% illuminated01:37-10°
M57 rise03:05
Astrosession end06:1330°
Civil sunrise07:1842°
Sunrise07:4948°
Moon Set11:5080°

Track M57 Position Throughout the Night

← Tue, 21 January 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M57 changing position in the night sky.

M57 - Ring Nebula

The Ring Nebula (M57) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Lyra. It was discovered by Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in 1779 and later cataloged by Charles Messier. M57 is one of the most famous planetary nebulae in the sky.

M57 spans about 1 light-year across and contains a central white dwarf star surrounded by a shell of ionized gas. The nebula is approximately 2,300 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.8, making it visible with a small telescope.

Finder Chart for M57

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Object nameM57
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M57 coordinates18.89306, 33.02858
Center coordinates18.89306, 33.02858

M57 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M57

Time18:55
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M57 elevation5°
M57 Azimuth50°
Here you can see the current position of the M57 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M57's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M57

Time
DateWed, 22 January 2025
Twighlight start19:09
Twighlight end06:08
Twighlight duration11h 59m
Rise03:05
Set19:27
Elevation at transit83°
Transit time11:16
Equatorial coordinateRA: 18h 53m 35s", Dec: 33° 01' 42s
Magnitude9
ConstellationLyra
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M57, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M57 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.