Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cygnus (Cyg)  ·  Contains:  Crescent Nebula  ·  NGC 6888  ·  Sh2-105
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NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula, Edward Overstreet
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NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula

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NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula, Edward Overstreet
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula

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Description

The Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888 or Caldwell 27, is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus.

About 4,700 light years away, NGC 6888 is formed by a fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star HD 192163, also known as WR 136. The star is shedding its outer envelope, ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass every 10,000 years. This stellar wind is colliding with, and energizing, a slower-moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell about 25 light-years across. Two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward, heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures. The central star WR 136 will probably undergo a supernova explosion sometime in the next million years.

Credits: Sky Safari Pro 6

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NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula, Edward Overstreet