Object: NGC
6888 Crescent Nebula in Cygnus
Equipment: Astro-Tech
10" f/8 RC on Asto-Physics 1200GTO; SBIG ST-10XME, Astrodon
filters; Astro-Physics 80X900 guidescope.
Exposure/Processing:
RGB - 6 to 8 X 180s; 3 x 600s hydrogen alpha as luminance;
Expose/process in Maxim / Photoshop.
Location/Date: 08
October 2010; Chiefland Astronomy Village
Description:
NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a cosmic bubble
about 25 light-years across, blown by winds from its central,
bright, massive star. NGC 6888's central star is classified as a
Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136). The star is shedding its outer envelope in
a strong stellar wind, ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass
every 10,000 years. The 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 near the end of
its stellar life this star should ultimately go out with a bang in a
spectacular supernova explosion. Found in the nebula rich
constellation Cygnus, NGC 6888 is about 5,000 light-years away.
(Entry from NASA APOD site) |
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