This was
your sky.

Exploring the Ring

The Ring Nebula, M57, is about 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. The central ring is about one light-year across. This deep exposure combines data from two telescopes, revealing looping filaments of glowing gas extending much farther from the nebula's central star. In this planetary nebula, the glowing material comes from the star's outer layers, not from planets.