Ring Nebula Drawn
Drawing Credit & Copyright: Frédéric Burgeot
Explanation: A
planetary nebula with a
simple symmetry familiar
to telescopic sky gazers, the Ring Nebula (
M57) is
some 2,000 light-years away in the musical constellation Lyra. Hints of changing
colors and subtle details are brought out in
this
remarkable sketch of the
cosmic ring. The sketch
was made with 800x magnification and excellent seeing conditions directly
at the eyepiece of a 40 inch reflecting
telescope. Colored pencils on white paper were used to create the original
drawing, shown here digitally scanned with an inverted palette applied. About
one light-year across, the nebula is composed of outer layers expelled from a
dying, once sun-like star. Intense ultraviolet light from the hot central star
ionizes atoms in the gas and powers the nebular glow.
Ionized hydrogen adds a reddish tint. Ionized oxygen
produces a characteristic blue-green color.
Difficult to see under
average conditions with small telescopes, the
Ring Nebula's central star
was visible at all times during the artist's study.
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry
Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official:
Phillip Newman Specific rights
apply.
NASA Web Privacy
Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
