Ring Nebula (M57) + Pro’ Giacomo & Romani Michele “Astrogarage01”+ L-Para, L-QEF

Ring Nebula (M57)

Credit: Pro’ Giacomo & Romani Michele “Astrogarage01”

Filters: Optolong L-Para, L-QEF

 

 

 

Ring Nebula (M57)
The photographic project we are about to present is the result of the friendship and collaboration between Giacomo Pro' and Michele Romani Astrogarage01. Michele was responsible for the equipment and acquisition, while I took care of the post-production of the photographs. You can find everything in the link to the video documentary on how the M57 project was born and developed. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/B3GKbwBIDw4?si=HSfP9kZfENV4wh0L

The Ring Nebula (also known as M 57 or NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula visible in the northern constellation of Lyra; it is about 2,000 light years from Earth and has a diameter of about 2 light years.
M57 can be seen south of the bright star Vega, which forms the north-eastern corner of a well-known asterism known as the Summer Triangle.
This nebula was discovered by Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in January 1779, who described it as “as large as Jupiter and resembling a faded planet”. Later that same month, Charles Messier independently rediscovered it while conducting research on comets, and included it in his famous catalogue as his 57th object.
Planetary nebulae form when small or medium-sized stars, such as the Sun, exhaust their hydrogen reserves in their core; at this stage, the star's structure changes to reach a new equilibrium in which nuclear fusion reactions can continue: the outer layers expand and the star becomes a red giant. When the internal temperature increases due to instability, the outermost layers can be ejected either continuously or through violent pulsations. This expanding gas envelope forms the spherical nebula, illuminated by the ultraviolet energy of the central star.
The nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.8. M57 is illuminated by a central white dwarf of magnitude 15.75 (variable), whose mass is about 1.2 solar masses.
All the inner parts of this nebula have a bluish-greenish colour, caused by doubly ionised oxygen (O III) at emission lines of 495.7 and 500.7 nm. In the outer regions of the ring, part of the red colouring is caused by hydrogen emission lines at 656.3 nm.
M57 is an example of a class of planetary nebulae known as bipolar nebulae, characterised by a bilobed axial symmetry, thus showing a ring structure when viewed along its major axis of symmetry. It appears to be a very elongated spheroid with strong concentrations of material along the equator; from Earth, the axis of symmetry is observed at about 30°.

 

 

 

 

 

Light: 625 x 180" – Filter: Optolong Astronomy Filter L-Para
Light: 435 x 30" – Filter: Optolong L-Para
Light: 120 x 60" – Filter: Optolong L-Qef
Light: 195 x 180" Filter: @SvBony 850nm IrPass
Cameras: ZWO ASI 533mc Pro - ZWO ASI 533mm Pro
Telescope: Celestron C11 F10 Reduced to F6.3 with Starizona IV reducer
Mount: SkyWatcher Eq6r Pro
Guide: ZWO ASI 174mm Mini and ZWO OAG L
Acquisition: Asiair Pro
Software: Pixinsight – Photoshop
Shots: from 23rd June to 1st September
Location: Cremona (CR) Italy
SQM: 19.30
Authors: Pro’ Giacomo & Romani Michele “Astrogarage01” 

Hope you like it.