NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula
Explanation:
Blown by the wind from a massive star, this interstellar
apparition has a surprisingly
familiar shape.
Cataloged as NGC 7635, it is also known simply as
The Bubble Nebula.
Although it looks delicate, the 7 light-year diameter bubble offers
evidence of violent processes at work.
Above and left of the Bubble's center is a hot,
O-type
star,
several hundred thousand times more luminous and some 45
times more massive than the Sun.
A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from that
star has blasted out the
structure of glowing gas
against denser material
in a surrounding
molecular
cloud.
The intriguing Bubble Nebula and associated cloud complex
lie a mere 7,100 light-years away toward the boastful constellation
Cassiopeia.
This sharp, tantalizing view of the cosmic bubble is a composite of
Hubble Space Telescope image data from 2016,
reprocessed
to present the nebula's intense narrowband emission in an
approximate true color scheme.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
