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Credit & Copyright: Brian Lula
Explanation:
Seemingly adrift in a
cosmic sea
of stars and gas, this delicate, floating apparition is
cataloged as NGC 7635 -- The Bubble Nebula.
In this wide-angle view, the Bubble nebula
lies
at the center of a larger complex of shocked glowing gas about 11,000
light-years
distant in the fair constellation
Cassiopeia.
NGC 7635
really is an interstellar bubble, blown by winds from the brightest star
visible within the bubble's boundary.
The bubble's expansion is constrained by the surrounding material.
About 10 light-years in diameter, if the Bubble nebula were centered on the Sun,
the Sun's nearest stellar neighbor,
Alpha Centauri, would also be enclosed.
This breathtaking picture is a combination of telescopic
digital images made through broad color filters
along with a narrow filter intended to transmit only the red
light emitted by excited hydrogen atoms.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 7635 - Bubble nebula
Publications with words: NGC 7635 - Bubble nebula
See also: