Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cygnus (Cyg)  ·  Contains:  Crescent Nebula  ·  IC 4996  ·  NGC 6888  ·  The star 34Cyg
The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), Nicholas Gialiris
The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)
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The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), Nicholas Gialiris
The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)
Powered byPixInsight

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)

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Description

5,000 light years away in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan), the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is a cosmic bubble about 25 light-years across, blown by winds from it's central, bright, massive star. Oxygen atoms produce the blue-green hue enshrouding the nebula.

This central star is shedding its outer envelope in a strong stellar wind, ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass every 10,000 years. 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.

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The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), Nicholas Gialiris