Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas)  ·  Contains:  Bubble Nebula  ·  HD220057  ·  HD240233  ·  LBN 542  ·  LBN 543  ·  LBN 548  ·  LBN 549  ·  LDN 1225  ·  LDN 1231  ·  NGC 7538  ·  NGC 7635  ·  PK112-00.1  ·  Sh2-158  ·  Sh2-159  ·  Sh2-162
NGC 7635: The Pearl of Cassiopeia, AaronW
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NGC 7635: The Pearl of Cassiopeia

NGC 7635: The Pearl of Cassiopeia, AaronW
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NGC 7635: The Pearl of Cassiopeia

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Description

In 1787, while Mozart was composing Eine kleine Nachtmusik and America was finalizing its Constitution, William Herschel discovered NGC 7635, commonly known today as the Bubble nebula.  Although it looks delicate, the 7-light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work.  The seething star forming this bubble lies inside it and is 45 times more massive than the Sun.

A fierce stellar wind from this star has blasted out the structure of glowing gas against a surrounding molecular cloud made of dense pillars of cool hydrogen gas laced with dust.  With 145 hours of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen data captured from my backyard, I marvel at the fact that we can give ourselves a front-row seat to the awe-inspiring universe we live in.  And this show isn’t yet over…in roughly 10 million years, this star is expected to detonate as a supernova.  This bubble will soon pop!

Processed in PixInsight in the Hubble palette.

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NGC 7635: The Pearl of Cassiopeia, AaronW