Exposures: 2 hrs of Lum (15 min subs), 25 min each of RGB (5 min subs) for total of 3.25 hours
M57 is a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulae are formed when a shell of ionized gas is expelled into the surrounding interstellar medium by a red giant star, which was passing through the last stage in its evolution before collapsing and becoming a white dwarf.
That small galaxy seen below and to the right of the nebula is IC 1296, a barred spiral galaxy located approx. 221 million light years away
Field of View = 11.7 x 7.8 arc minutes
2,300 light years away
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