Astronomy photo of the day



Explanation:
The Ring Nebula (M57) is more complicated than it appears through a small telescope. The easily visible central ring is about one light-year across, but this remarkably deep image – a collaborative effort combining data from three different large telescopes – explores the loops of glowing gas that extend much further from the nebula’s central star . This composite image includes red light emitted by hydrogen, as well as visible and infrared light. The Ring Nebula is an elongated planetary nebula, a type of nebula that forms when a Sun-like star evolves to shed its outer atmosphere and become a white dwarf star. The Ring Nebula is located about 2,500 light-years away toward the musical constellation Lyra.