The Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57 or NGC 6720, was a planetary nebula located in the Alpha Quadrant. The nebula was located approximately 2,600 light years from Sol. This nebula was visible from Earth in the constellation of Lyra.
An image of the nebula was on display on one of the large bridge monitors aboard the USS Enterprise in 2266 and 2267. (TOS: "Charlie X")
An image of the nebula, taken by the Hubble Telescope, was on display in astrometrics aboard the USS Voyager in the year 2376. (VOY: "Alice")
The nebula's quadrant of origin was inferred from the location of other known astronimcal objects, Beta Lyrae system and Vega, which were associated with the constellation Lyra.