<p>The ring nebula (also called M57) is quite beautiful and relatively easy to find! It is located in the constellation Lyra---which will be easy to find since it has one of the brightest stars in the sky, Vega. Vega is a bright blue star which is part of the summer triangle. What else you see will depend on how dark the skies are. I find that even in relatively light polluted areas, however, you can still see <span class="math-container">$\beta$</span>-Lyrae and <span class="math-container">$\gamma$</span>-Lyrae. Those two stars, with Vega, make a distinct isosceles triangle. The ring nebula hangs very near the midpoint between <span class="math-container">$\beta$</span> and <span class="math-container">$\gamma$</span> as shown in the star chart below (which I took from the Wikipedia page for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyra" rel="noreferrer">Lyra</a>). If you are using a star hopping method, I'd start on Vega, hop to <span class="math-container">$\beta$</span>, then if you have a wide enough FOV try to get both <span class="math-container">$\beta$</span> and <span class="math-container">$\gamma$</span> in your view. At those scales the ring nebula is a small (similar in size to a planet), but distinct circle directly in the center.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/8dnyE.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/8dnyE.png" alt="Star Chart of Lyra" /></a></p>
<p>I would recommend using the telescope for any deep sky objects. In truly dark conditions you can get a good view of large objects like the Andromeda Galaxy with binoculars, but most of the fun stuff is both too small and too faint to see without a proper telescope. Binoculars do provide a spectacular view of open star clusters like the Pleiades, as well as any constellation along the galactic plane where the density of stars is the highest.</p>
<p>I hope this helps, and happy stargazing! :-)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-08T20:57:33.983Z
thank you! That's a good answer.
S. Imp
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-06T22:32:42.637Z
2022-07-06T22:32:42.637Z
Keyan Gootkin
<p>This is a bit last minute. I'm leaving shortly to go camping and expect to have dark skies. I watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpgiZJm7szg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NASA What's Up June 2020</a> which suggested checking out M13 (for which it gave pretty good directions) and also mentioned the Ring Nebula but gave no directions at all. I have some small binoculars and an Astromaster telescope 114. I will have my phone with me, but no internet. Can anyone suggest a good star map I can print? Or give some specific advice about locating these objects?</p>
<p>Or, alternatively, if there's some other nebula visible thru binoculars or <a href="https://www.celestron.com/products/astromaster-114eq-telescope" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this small telescope</a>, I'd be most grateful for suggestions, tips, and printable star maps.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-06T19:07:53.830Z
Download an offline planetarium for your phone like Stellarium or Sky Safari. It helps to have someone show it to you first so you know what you're looking for.  But those two are probably the easier ones to find right after sunset.
Greg Miller
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-07T17:00:02.173Z
skymaps.com's monthly [evening sky map](https://skymaps.com/downloads.html) shows a few deep-sky objects and lists which ones are visible in binoculars.
Mike G
<amateur-observing><nebula><newtonian-telescope><globular-clusters>
How to locate M13, Ring Nebula?
S. Imp
# How to locate M13, Ring Nebula?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-06)

This is a bit last minute. I'm leaving shortly to go camping and expect to have dark skies. I watched [NASA What's Up June 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpgiZJm7szg) which suggested checking out M13 (for which it gave pretty good directions) and also mentioned the Ring Nebula but gave no directions at all. I have some small binoculars and an Astromaster telescope 114. I will have my phone with me, but no internet. Can anyone suggest a good star map I can print? Or give some specific advice about locating these objects?

Or, alternatively, if there's some other nebula visible thru binoculars or [this small telescope](https://www.celestron.com/products/astromaster-114eq-telescope), I'd be most grateful for suggestions, tips, and printable star maps.

**Tags:** amateur-observing, nebula, newtonian-telescope, globular-clusters
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Download an offline planetarium for your phone like Stellarium or Sky Safari. It helps to have someone show it to you first so you know what you're looking for.  But those two are probably the easier ones to find right after sunset.  
> **username_2**: skymaps.com's monthly [evening sky map](https://skymaps.com/downloads.html) shows a few deep-sky objects and lists which ones are visible in binoculars.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-07-06. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

The ring nebula (also called M57) is quite beautiful and relatively easy to find! It is located in the constellation Lyra---which will be easy to find since it has one of the brightest stars in the sky, Vega. Vega is a bright blue star which is part of the summer triangle. What else you see will depend on how dark the skies are. I find that even in relatively light polluted areas, however, you can still see $\beta$-Lyrae and $\gamma$-Lyrae. Those two stars, with Vega, make a distinct isosceles triangle. The ring nebula hangs very near the midpoint between $\beta$ and $\gamma$ as shown in the star chart below (which I took from the Wikipedia page for [Lyra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyra)). If you are using a star hopping method, I'd start on Vega, hop to $\beta$, then if you have a wide enough FOV try to get both $\beta$ and $\gamma$ in your view. At those scales the ring nebula is a small (similar in size to a planet), but distinct circle directly in the center.

[![Star Chart of Lyra](https://i.sstatic.net/8dnyE.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/8dnyE.png)

I would recommend using the telescope for any deep sky objects. In truly dark conditions you can get a good view of large objects like the Andromeda Galaxy with binoculars, but most of the fun stuff is both too small and too faint to see without a proper telescope. Binoculars do provide a spectacular view of open star clusters like the Pleiades, as well as any constellation along the galactic plane where the density of stars is the highest.

I hope this helps, and happy stargazing! :-)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: thank you! That's a good answer.  

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