Image Title: The Ring
Copyright: Nicola Valentini
Date image was taken: July 02, 2025
Location: Novara , Italiy
Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup
Description and Details: Description for APOD Submission - M57, the Ring Nebula
The Ring Nebula (M57) is one of the most iconic planetary nebulae in the northern sky, located in the constellation Lyra at a distance of approximately 2,500 light-years from Earth. It represents the final evolutionary stage of a Sun-like star that has expelled its outer layers into space, forming this glowing shell of ionized gas. At the center of the nebula lies a faint white dwarf — the stellar remnant that remains after the star’s core collapse. The faint, extended outer structures, revealed through narrowband imaging, highlight the complexity and dynamism of this stellar death process.
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Acquisition details
• Object: Messier 57 - The Ring Nebula
• Location: Novara, Italy (captured from a home rooftop under urban skies)
• Telescope: RC Truss 304mm f/8
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
• Filters: Optolong 3nm H-alpha and OIII
• Total integration:
• H-alpha: 13 hours 40 minutes
• OIII: 15 hours 15 minutes
• Sub-exposure time: 900 seconds each
Name: Nicola Valentini
