Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cygnus (Cyg)  ·  Contains:  Crescent nebula  ·  NGC 6888
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Crescent Nebula in Ha, Richard Pattie
Crescent Nebula in Ha
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Crescent Nebula in Ha

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Crescent Nebula in Ha, Richard Pattie
Crescent Nebula in Ha
Powered byPixInsight

Crescent Nebula in Ha

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Description

The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away and 25 light years across. It was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures. The star powering all this (WR 136) is burning fuel at a prodigious rate and is nearing the end of its stellar life; it should ultimately go out with a bang in a spectacular supernova explosion. [Source: Wikipedia]

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Crescent Nebula in Ha, Richard Pattie