2010 July 7, 0408 UT
M57, NGC6720, the Ring Nebula
Constellation Lyra, Planetary Nebula Type 4+3, ~1500-2000 light years away
0>71”, m8.8v
PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA – Erika Rix
16” Zhumell, 12mm Burgess, 3x Barlow, magnification 450x
Sketch created scopeside with white photocopy paper, #2 pencil,
ultra-fine black marker. Template from www.perezmedia.com.
M57 never fails to please, just like other objects such as the Double
Cluster, M13 and M27. This is the first time I’ve used the 16” on this
planetary nebula and took advantage of the aperture to increase
magnification. I was particularly interested in looking for structure
within the ring as well as a richer star field. It most likely wasn’t
the optimal magnification to use, but seeing was rock steady and I was
itching to give it a try.
This object resembled a scrunched up American football, not quite as
oblong, but most certainly not completely round. The two ends were
fainter than the middle portions of the ring, which had strands of
brightened areas to the NW and SE sections of the ring. There was one
particular area to the northern area of the ring that could have passed
for a star, but not defined. It was more or less just a bright spot
within the ring. The center of the nebula was a hazy darker gray, also
appearing oblong. I couldn’t detect the ever-elusive central star.
Erika Rix
Erika,
Very nice accurate to view sketch.
Frank
Erika,
Have you seen a bit of color in the ring ? Perhaps red?
The sketch is very good, but I think you have already known it!
Marek
Thank you for the kind comments. I rarely see colors in DSOs or stars. Sometimes might see a hint of blue or yellow and think I’m just not concentrating hard enough on seeing the colors, but more on the star placements (which I really need work on) and the details within the DSOs themselves. This was the first time I really observed M57 with my Zhumell 16″. It took me several months to feel comfortable sketching with that much aperture. I wasn’t used to seeing so much detail. lol