Messier 57 is a planetary nebula, which can be located in constellation Lyra, not far from well-known star Vega. The name planetary nebula has nothing to do with a planet, because in a small telescope it can look like a Jupiter, but in the reality it was a star, similar to our Sun. At the end of its life, when the fuel was consumed, the star inflated and ejected the material away. The nebula, as we see it today is illuminated by the white dwarf in the middle.

Technical details:

Telescope:RC 154/1370
Aperture:154 mm
Focal length:917 mm
MountiOptron CEM25P
AutoguidingQHYCCD miniGuideScope 130 mm f/4.3, ZWO 174 MM
Camera:ZWO 1600 MC @ -15C
Corrector:Astro Physics CCDT67
Filters:UV, IR cut
Exposure:31x 120s Gain 139
Date:2017-08-13