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Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas
Explanation:
NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a
cosmic bubble about 25 light-years across, blown by
winds from its central, bright, massive star.
This beautiful
telescopic view combines a composite color image
with narrow band data that isolates light from hydrogen
and oxygen atoms in the wind-blown nebula.
The oxygen atoms produce the blue-green hue that seems to enshroud
the detailed folds and filaments.
NGC 6888's central star is classified as a
Wolf-Rayet star
(WR 136).
The star is shedding its outer envelope in a strong
stellar wind,
ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass every 10,000 years.
The nebula's complex structures are likely the result of this
strong wind interacting with material ejected in an earlier phase.
Burning fuel at a prodigious rate and
near the end
of its stellar life this star should ultimately go out with a bang in a
spectacular supernova explosion.
Found in the nebula rich
constellation Cygnus,
NGC 6888
is about 5,000 light-years away.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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 6888 - Crescent Nebula - Wolf-Rayet star
Publications with words: NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula - Wolf-Rayet star
See also:
- APOD: 2024 November 12 Á NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula
- Sharpless 308: The Dolphin Head Nebula
- APOD: 2024 January 9 Á Thors Helmet
- APOD: 2023 September 4 Á Cygnus: Bubble and Crescent
- 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