Ring Nebula (M57) - Iconic Planetary Nebula in the Constellation Lyra #3062425 (License: Personal Use)

This high-resolution image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures the Ring Nebula (Messier 57), a planetary nebula located approximately 2,300 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. The nebula’s glowing shells-composed of ionized hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen-form a complex toroidal structure expanding outward after the death of its progenitor star. At its heart lies a hot white dwarf, illuminating the surrounding gas with ultraviolet radiation.

Used on astronomy education sites, NASA/ESA outreach pages, and stargazing guides; supports user intent to learn about stellar evolution, deep-sky objects, or plan telescope observations.