Ring Nebula (M57) Observation Details

M57 Daily Motion

M57 will be visible until December, 25, 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 Rise and Set Timetable

	Time	Elevation
M57 transit	14:33	83°
Sunset	17:05	59°
Civil sunset	17:37	53°
Astrosession begin	18:10	46°
M57 Set	22:43
M57 Rise	06:18
Astrosession end	06:34	2°
Civil sunrise	07:07	7°
Sunrise	07:39	12°

Track M57 Position Throughout the Night

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 name	M57
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M57 coordinates	18.89306, 33.02858
Center coordinates	18.89306, 33.02858

M57 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M57

Time	12:30
Latitude	39.9625
Longitude	-83.0061
M57 elevation	65°
M57 Azimuth	-96°

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

Date	Wed, 4 December 2024
Twighlight start	18:39
Twighlight end	05:55
Twighlight duration	11h 16m
Rise	06:18
Set	22:39
Elevation at transit	83°
Transit time	14:29
Equatorial coordinate	RA: 18h 53m 35s", Dec: 33° 01' 42s
Magnitude	9
Constellation	Lyra

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.

Observation Settings