Ring nebula.

[DazC]

Hi all

I was out in the garden at 3.30 this morning looking at M13 & M92. Both were beautiful, the seeing wasn't amazing but it was good enough to see those two clusters clearly.

While i was in that area i thought i'd have a look for the ring nebula. I looked and looked with my 32mm ep for the best part of 45 minutes but came up with nothing.

Is the ring a hard target to bag?

How big should it apear in my 32mm ep?

Is it a bright nebula like M42 or a very faint nebula?

Should i be able to see it with a 130mm scope?

Please help, this is an M that i would love to add to my list.

Thanks.

D.C

[rory]

you will see it with your scope. its small compared to m42. but its bright enough to catch the eye with direct vision. your view with a 32mm e/p. would make it look like a bloated star in size but id doubt youd see the dounut centre ,i didnt on low mag.

if you locate the two stars below vega sulafat and sheliak and scan the line between those slowly you should see it,

good luck.

[Moonshane]

totally agree with rory. get to the right area with your finder / 32mm but then increase the power and you should see it. the PN is much smaller than M32 but quite bright. it's really obvious when in the field of view at about 70-100x.

[Moonshane]

ps, there's plenty of time as this will be on view all summer too.

[DazC]

Thanks fellas, that's cheered me up a bit. I'll keep looking and throw a bit more mag at it next time.

Hope it's clear tomorrow morning!

D.C

[rory]

Thanks fellas, that's cheered me up a bit. I'll keep looking and throw a bit more mag at it next time.

Hope it's clear tomorrow morning!

D.C

ive not seen it at higher magnification yet. when i first viewed m57 i only owned my 32mm which gives x31. so im looking foward to seeing it again.

[Spoon]

it is not difficult at high mag but quite hard at low mag

[rory]

it is not difficult at high mag but quite hard at low mag

dont agree, its reasonably bright at low mag.

[Double Kick Drum]

it is not difficult at high mag but quite hard at low mag

As Rory states, M57 appears like an out of focus star at lower powers. Due to its high surface brightness, it can take quite a lot of magnification, which is when the donut shape becomes more apparent.

[twotter]

It always reminds me of a smoke ring

[dtr42]

is it a donut or a merangue:)

[RikM]

It always reminds me of a smoke ring

Same here. It is much smaller than I expected. This was the one 'must see' object on my list when I first started.

[DazC]

I had another go at the ring this morning but couldn't find it before the clouds rolled in!!!

Oh well, i'll keep at it.

D.C

[andrew63]

you could have 'seen' in but not know you have! As others have said it's quite small - compared to the globulars you observed but once 'found' you will have no problem finding it again as you will know what to expect - which happens a lot with DSO.

andrew

[Spoon]

dont agree, its reasonably bright at low mag.

That depends on your scope

[rory]

That depends on your scope

well yeah i agree with you there, but im only useing a 90mm cheapo refractor and i found it to be fairly bright. of course i say bright as in compared to alot of other dso's.

id class it as a good beginers dso, as its location and brightness is a plus.

[Spoon]

fair enough! i have a 70mm refractor and its pretty poor

[perrin6]

Try a higher magnification - say about 60 +

[rory]

fair enough! i have a 70mm refractor and its pretty poor

still good going in a 70mm.good find. as with most nebula and other dso's, a good transparent steady sky and no moon about helps tons.

i only had one e/p first time i saw her, now i have a whole two

[Spoon]

yh its not bad in a 70mm

[DazC]

Does anyone know of any links to any detailed star charts for that area please?

D.C

[Double Kick Drum]

Does anyone know of any links to any detailed star charts for that area please?

D.C

Try downloading either Stellarium or Cartes du Ciel for free. Personally I use CdC which has stars beyond magnitude 12 and enough DSOs to keep you going for years.

[Spoon]

Star Walk is an excellent app

[DazC]

FINALLY!!

I found the ring nebula this morning at around 3.30. I used my tmb 7mm (93x). The seeing wasn't very good, i think there was a lot of moisture in the atmosphere plus the nearly full moon behind me didn't help.

I'll be having another go at it when there is a new moon and when the weather lets me. I can't wait.

I see what people were saying about it being small and needing mag, but 93x is all i have. Still it's a nice one to tick on the list.

Thanks everyone.

D.C

[rory]

nice one d.c, its unique isnt it. have you seen the dumbell nebula yet ? also worth the effort. i viewed both the ring and dumbell on the same night last year, both great nebula to view. good work.