Observing Report -- M57

Craig B wrote:
Location : Montreal , Canada
I wasn't then able to find M57 . Tonight
I did :-) . Not a very impressive object , not at all like the Orion Nebula
. Didn't see the hole , just made out a dark smudged circle .

vic20owner resonded:

Hi Craig, you didn't mention what magnification you used. At low powers
it looks like a small smudge. With more power it should look like a
ring. Be sure to use averted vision (look all around the eyepiece but
rarely right at the object) to see it more clearly. Also try watching
it with averted vision for 10 minutes or more while shielding your eyes
from outside light. You will gradually begin to see more as your eyes
adjust.

This is all excellent advice, but seeing M57 as a ring in a 4.5-inch
scope under heavy light pollution isn't a forgone conclusion. It would
be a cinch with a bigger scope in the same location, or with the same
scope in a darker location, but as it is, I'd say the observation is
a little iffy. Which shouldn't stop you from trying, of course!

In my 70mm scope in the suburbs, M57 is like a bottle with a cork.
If I like at it directly, it's a solid circular hole. With averted
vision, the center pops out and it looks like a ring. Look straight
at it again, and pop! -- the cork's back in it again. Lots of fun.

- Tony Flanders