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Object Type Planetary Nebula
Declination +33 degrees 02 minutes
Right Ascension 18 hours 53.6 minutes
Magnitude 9.7, central star is 14.8
Angular Size 70x150 arcseconds
The Ring (M57) isn’t the brightest planetary nebula in the sky but
it is probably the best known and can look amazing when viewed through
suitable equipment under good conditions. Being between Beta and Gamma
Lyrae, it is relatively easy to find. Its magnitude of 9.7 suggests
that
it can be visible with 50mm binoculars from a dark site but I would
expect
this to be possible only on the clearest of nights by a very
experienced
observer. I have seen it on a few occasions with 70mm binoculars under
very good conditions. A good indicator of whether it’s worth trying to
find it, is how clearly you can see the summer Milky Way. As a
comparison,
its magnitude is similar to many of the galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
but,
during late summer from the UK and other mid-latitude locations, it is
near the zenith, so a lot easier to see.
With a declination of just over 33 degrees north, it is almost circumpolar from northern latitudes in the UK and Canada but unless you have exceptionally clear skies and a large telescope, it is only worth looking at it when at its best. That is late summer just after nightfall from mid northern latitudes. It is theoretically well placed around midnight in June but, above 45 degrees north, it never gets properly dark at night until mid-July. >From most southern hemisphere locations, around 35 degrees south, it never gets much above 30 degrees above the horizon, so needs very clear skies.
Although it can be found in binoculars, in truth it just appears as a small fuzzy patch that looks like an out of focus star. An 80mm refractor at moderate magnification (about 60x) will reveal its true nature under good conditions. Moving up to a 120mm aperture will reveal it in its true glory, although visually you won’t see the colours that you see in the published photographs.
The Ring is one of the few deep sky objects that can benefit from high magnification, as its apparent angular size is not much more than the planets. At a magnification of 240x with my 127mm Maksutov, it looks quite superb.
