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.
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 |
Yanvar' Fevral' Mart Aprel' Mai Iyun' Iyul' Avgust Sentyabr' Oktyabr' Noyabr' Dekabr' |
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami:
NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula - Wolf-Rayet star - Tumannost' Polumesyac - zvezdy Vol'fa-Raie
Publikacii so slovami: NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula - Wolf-Rayet star - Tumannost' Polumesyac - |