Ring Number Two

I posted a picture of the Ring Nebula or M57 a while ago, but it was not nearly as nice as I think this one is. Here you can see the different colors of the planetary nebula and even the white dwarf lying at the center. This planetary nebula was created when a red giant star expelled its outer layers of gas in its dying days, forming a shell of gas expanding away from the star.

A Nebula if You Please

This is another very cool object. This is M57. With the 32 inch telescope it is just barely visible with the naked eye as a hazy white thing. Here you can clearly see the nebula as well as the white dwarf right in the center of it. The nebula was formed by a red giant star expelling its shell of gas into space on its way to becoming a white dwarf. This is the stunning result. Once again, not a great picture of it, but I am going to work on that!