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The Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888 in Cygnus
NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, glowing in the heart of the constellation Cygnus, about 4,700 light-years away. This beautiful emission nebula is actually a cosmic bubble, created by the powerful stellar winds of a massive Wolf-Rayet star known as WR 136. This star, about 20 times the mass of the Sun, is shedding its outer layers at an incredible rate. As the fast wind from its current life stage slams into slower-moving material it ejected earlier, the gas heats up and lights up in a spectacular display of hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) emissions.
The Crescent Nebula spans about 25 light-years across, but it’s far too faint to see with the naked eye — even through a telescope it requires dark skies and patience. Thankfully, long-exposure astrophotography lets us capture the intricate filaments and delicate details hidden in this stellar bubble.
Cygnus is full of wonders. The Crescent is a reminder that even in its death throes a massive star can create something breathtakingly beautiful.
Acquisition details: 70mm Quad APO Astrograph, AVX mount, QHY183C CMOS camera, Optolong L-eXtreme dual band narrowband filter, (100x120s) 3 hours of data taken on July 31, 2025. Processed using DSS, SAS, Ps.
The Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888 in Cygnus
NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, glowing in the heart of the constellation Cygnus, about 4,700 light-years away. This beautiful emission nebula is actually a cosmic bubble, created by the powerful stellar winds of a massive Wolf-Rayet star known as WR 136. This star, about 20 times the mass of the Sun, is shedding its outer layers at an incredible rate. As the fast wind from its current life stage slams into slower-moving material it ejected earlier, the gas heats up and lights up in a spectacular display of hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) emissions.
The Crescent Nebula spans about 25 light-years across, but it’s far too faint to see with the naked eye — even through a telescope it requires dark skies and patience. Thankfully, long-exposure astrophotography lets us capture the intricate filaments and delicate details hidden in this stellar bubble.
Cygnus is full of wonders. The Crescent is a reminder that even in its death throes a massive star can create something breathtakingly beautiful.
Acquisition details: 70mm Quad APO Astrograph, AVX mount, QHY183C CMOS camera, Optolong L-eXtreme dual band narrowband filter, (100x120s) 3 hours of data taken on July 31, 2025. Processed using DSS, SAS, Ps.