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Credit & Copyright: Brian Lula
Explanation:
Seemingly adrift in an
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: