The Bubble Nebula
NGC 7635 in Cassiopeia
is an expanding shell of glowing gas and dust surrounding the hot, massive star BD+602522. Called Wolf-Rayets, these stars are 20 times larger than our Sun, and number only about 300 in our galaxy. The fierce stellar wind forces the surrounding gas into this amazing shape as the intense starlight ionizes it, causing it to glow in Hydrogen alpha light. Often classified as a planetary nebula, it is atypical of the family and is more likely a supernova remnant. The nebula is 10 light-years across, more than twice the distance from Earth to our nearest star. NGC 7635 is estimated to be about 11,300 light-years away from us. The Bubble is actually the smallest of three bubbles surrounding the 'W-R' star, and part of the gigantic network is created with the help of other large stars. The data was captured by Deep Sky West.
LARGE
is an expanding shell of glowing gas and dust surrounding the hot, massive star BD+602522. Called Wolf-Rayets, these stars are 20 times larger than our Sun, and number only about 300 in our galaxy. The fierce stellar wind forces the surrounding gas into this amazing shape as the intense starlight ionizes it, causing it to glow in Hydrogen alpha light. Often classified as a planetary nebula, it is atypical of the family and is more likely a supernova remnant. The nebula is 10 light-years across, more than twice the distance from Earth to our nearest star. NGC 7635 is estimated to be about 11,300 light-years away from us. The Bubble is actually the smallest of three bubbles surrounding the 'W-R' star, and part of the gigantic network is created with the help of other large stars. The data was captured by Deep Sky West.
LARGE