Ring Nebula
Where is the Ring Nebula?
Look southwest, about 66° up at 20:20 in Lyra. It sinks lower through the evening and sets at 04:43.
- Rises
- 09:07
- Highest
- 18:57
- Sets
- 04:43
- Best after dark
- 20:20 · 66°
Can I see the Ring Nebula tonight?
From London tonight, the Ring Nebula is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest soon after dark, around 20:20, in the southwest at 66°.
At magnitude 8.8, with its light spread out, it needs a telescope and a dark sky.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does the Ring Nebula look like?
Eyes
Not visible.
Binoculars
Too small to tell from a star in most binoculars.
Telescope
At 100× or more, a small gray smoke ring with a darker center. Larger telescopes show its slightly oval shape.
About the Ring Nebula
The Ring Nebula is the best-known planetary nebula, a glowing shell of gas thrown off by a dying star. It lies in Lyra, about 2,500 light-years away.
Its ring shape is partly a matter of perspective: we are looking down a barrel-like shell of gas. The central white dwarf is very faint and difficult to see in amateur telescopes.
The Ring is small but bright, so it can be seen even from suburban skies with a modest telescope.
The Ring was discovered by Antoine Darquier in 1779 and listed by Messier the same year. The bright ring is roughly a light-year across.
The central white dwarf is around magnitude 15 or fainter, a challenge for large amateur telescopes. Photographs show a green inner glow from oxygen and red outer rings from hydrogen.
Lyra is high overhead on summer evenings from mid-northern latitudes, which is the best time to look.
Nearby in the sky
Questions
What size telescope do I need for the Ring Nebula?
Sources: SkyMate; OpenNGC (CC BY-SA 4.0); star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences