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Credit & Copyright: Michael Miller,
Jimmy Walker
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
sharp telescopic portrait uses
narrow band image 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.
Visible within the nebula, 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
Publications with words: NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula
See also: