Image-processed optical CCD picture of the Ring Nebula (M57, NGC 6720) in the constellation of Lyra. The nebula is a shell of gas ejected from a central star (the yellow and blue dot at centre) some 6000 years ago. It is located at a distance of over 2000 light years. The original CCD data has been computer-processed so that the colour coding represents the intensity of light coming from the nebula, with white representing the highest intensity. The data was obtained with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera mounted on a telescope at the Whipple Observatory, Arizona.