This image of the Ring Nebula (M57) was taken on the morning of June 23, 2007. The atmosphere was exceptionally clear and still on this night, and the nebula's central star is clearly visible in this photo. Also visible at about the three o'clock position is a fainter "companion star".

This image is a composite of nine one minute exposures made with an unmodified Canon Digital Rebel XT at the prime focus of my 8 inch f/4.9 reflector. The exposures were guided with an 80mm f/11 refractor.