Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2025 November 28 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Greg Bass Explanation: NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a about 25 light-years across, a cosmic bubble [5]blown by winds from its central, massive star. [6]This deep telescopic image includes narrowband image data, to isolate light from hydrogen and oxygen [7]atoms. The oxygen atoms produce the blue-green hue that seems to enshroud the nebula's detailed folds and filaments. Visible within the nebula, NGC 6888's central star is classified as a [8]Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136). The star is shedding its outer envelope in a strong [9]stellar wind, ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass every 10,000 years. In fact, the Crescent Nebula's complex structures are likely the result of this strong wind interacting with material ejected in an earlier phase. Burning fuel at a prodigious rate and [10]near the end of its stellar life, this star should ultimately go out with a bang in a spectacular [11]supernova explosion. Found in the [12]nebula rich constellation Cygnus, [13]NGC 6888 is about 5,000 light-years away. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices; A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC, [36]NASA Science Activation & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2511/NGC6888_40_300s_2048.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://app.astrobin.com/u/1loosetooth#gallery 5. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2000/news-2000-23.html 6. https://app.astrobin.com/i/8p42ig 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060324.html 8. http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~pberlind/atlas/htmls/wrstars.html 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_wind 10. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2003/ngc6888/ 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf–Rayet_star#Supernovae 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151204.html 13. http://oneminuteastronomer.com/5995/crescent-nebula-ngc-6888/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251127.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.com/feed.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251128 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251129.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 37. http://www.mtu.edu/