The Bubble Nebula (NGC7635)

[Bubble Nebula] The Bubble Nebula (NGC7635)

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200 x 203 28 kb color JPEG(on this page)
500 x 507 437 kb color JPEG
1000 x 1014 1.26 Mb color JPEG
2000 x 2028 4.48 Mb color JPEG
4000 x 4056 18.67 Mb color JPEG
4000 x 4056 46.44 Mb color TIFF

The Bubble Nebula (NGC7635) is one of three shells of gas surrounding the massive star BD+602522, the bright star near the center of the bubble. Energetic radiation from the star ionizes the shell, causing it to glow. About six light-years in diameter, the Bubble Nebula is located in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia. The magenta wisps near the bottom-right of the image are an unexpected bonus—the wisps are the remnants of a supernova that exploded thousands of years ago. This is the first optical image of the supernova remnant, which was discovered at radio wavelengths by the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey in 2005.

Minimum credit line: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF (for details see Conditions of Use)

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