Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature
> The Bubble nebula (NGC 7635) in Cassiopeia
The Bubble nebula (NGC 7635) in Cassiopeia
author: Nasa/ESA/Novapix
reference: a-neb76-35017
Image Size 300 DPI: 66 * 63 cm
The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is an emission nebula located 8 000 light-years away.
This complete view of the Bubble Nebula allows us to fully appreciate the almost perfectly symmetrical shell which gives the nebula its name. This shell is the result of a powerful flow of gas — known as a stellar wind — from the bright star visible just to the left of centre in this image. The star, SAO 20575, is between ten and twenty times the mass of the Sun and the pressure created by its stellar wind forces the surrounding interstellar material outwards into this bubble-like form.
The giant molecular cloud that surrounds the star — glowing in the star’s intense ultraviolet radiation — tries to stop the expansion of the bubble. However, although the sphere already measures around ten light-years in diameter, it is still growing, owing to the constant pressure of the stellar wind — currently at more than 100 000 kilometres per hour!
This stunning new image was observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Contact : Stéphane Aubin +33-(0)9-51-26-53-76
© Novapix - All rights reserved