Ring Nebula
NASA / ESA / Hubble, 2013
A smoke ring. The star in the middle has already let it go. The shape is what remains. Something that burned for an age is now a circle you could hang in a hall.
About this work
This composite of the Ring Nebula was released in May 2013. It combines visible-light observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope with infrared data from the ground-based Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, and the release described it as revealing the nebula's true shape. The Ring Nebula, Messier 57, is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra, about midway between the stars Beta and Gamma Lyrae. A planetary nebula forms when a star near the end of its life throws off a vast, glowing envelope of ionised gas before it becomes a white dwarf. The star that made this one is now a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, visible at the centre of the ring. At magnitude 8.8 the nebula is too faint for the naked eye but easy in a small telescope. Charles Messier found it in 1779. Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix found it independently a few weeks later and described it as "as large as Jupiter" and resembling "a planet which is fading", a comparison that may have helped give planetary nebulae their name.
Sources: HubbleSite release STScI-2013-13 · Wikipedia: Ring Nebula
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 7,000 × 6,500 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 46 × 43 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 19 in) · $100 · 342 ppi
Medium (24 × 22 in) · $150 · 292 ppi
Large (36 × 33 in) · $300 · 194 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Ring Nebula?
Here. Ring Nebula is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 19 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 22 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 33 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Ring Nebula?
The file is 7,000 × 6,500 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 33 in) prints at 194 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 33 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 19 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Ring Nebula?
Yes. The image was released by NASA, ESA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. NASA and STScI material is not protected by copyright in the United States unless noted, and ESA publishes its copy under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, so it can be printed with credit to NASA, ESA and C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University). A print does not imply endorsement by NASA or ESA.
