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Explanation: The Crescent Nebula is a rapidly expanding shell of gas surrounding a dying star. In this recently released image by the Hubble Space Telescope, a bright dynamic part of the nebula three light-years across is shown in representative color. The Crescent Nebula began to form about 250,000 years ago as central Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 began to shed its outer envelope in a strong stellar wind, expelling the equivalent of our Sun's mass every 10,000 years. This wind has been impacting surrounding interstellar gas, compacting it into a series of complex shells, and lighting it up. The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, lies about 4,700 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus and can only be seen through a telescope. Star WR 136 will probably undergo a supernova explosion sometime in the next million years.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: nebula - Wolf-Rayet star - Crescent Nebula - NGC 6888
Publications with words: nebula - Wolf-Rayet star - Crescent Nebula - NGC 6888
See also:
- APOD: 2024 January 23 Á Deep Nebulas: From Seagull to California
- APOD: 2024 January 9 Á Thors Helmet
- APOD: 2023 September 4 Á Cygnus: Bubble and Crescent
- APOD: 2023 June 14 Á The Shark Nebula
- APOD: 2023 March 29 Á Sh2-308: A Dolphin Shaped Star Bubble
- Wolf Rayet 124
- APOD: 2023 February 8 Á Stellar Wind Shaped Nebula RCW 58