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/