Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)

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Photographer:

Jon Greif

Location of Photo:

Julian, CA, USA

Date/Time of photo:

August 5, 2020, at 11:00 PM PDT

Equipment:

Astrotech AT72EDII at 344 mm focal length, ASI533MC Pro camera, Rainbow Astro RST-135 mount, ASI120MM mini guider (OAG), Ekos capture software, Pixinsight processing software.

Description:

Continuing my tour of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, this is the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, a cosmic bubble about 25 light-years across, blown by winds from its central, bright, massive star. The central star, classified as a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136) is shedding its outer envelope in a strong stellar wind, ejecting the equivalent of the Sun's mass every 10,000 years. The Crescent Nebula is about 5,000 light-years away.

Website:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/author/jgreif/