Astronomy Picture of the Day · April 20, 2012

M57: The Ring Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 20, 2012 is “M57: The Ring Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Composite Image Data – Subaru Telescope ( NAOJ ), Hubble Legacy Archive ; Processing and additional imaging – Robert Gendler. The original explanation runs about 173 words.

From the explanation

“Except for the rings of Saturn , the Ring Nebula (M57) is probably the most famous celestial band. Its classic appearance is understood to be due to perspective – our view from planet Earth looks down the center of a roughly barrel-shaped cloud of glowing gas.”

— APOD editors, April 20, 2012

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: April 20, 2012
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Composite Image Data – Subaru Telescope ( NAOJ ), Hubble Legacy Archive ; Processing and additional imaging – Robert Gendler
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 173 words

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Topics in this entry

Saturn Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: April 20 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, April 20, 2012 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2012-april-20-m57-the-ring-nebula

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.