The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) in Cygnus

on Tuesday, August 9, 2016

NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, is located in the constellation Cygnus near the bright star Sadr. The emission nebula, also designated Caldwell 27 and Sharpless 105) was discovered in 1792 by William Herschel. Located 5000 light years from Earth, the emission nebula is a product of the impact of shock waves from the stellar wind of red giant HD192163 colliding with the star's ejecta when it became a red giant. The star is likely to go supernova sometime soon

Comments
To leave a comment you must be a member of our community.
Login to your account now, or register for an account to start participating.
No one has commented yet.
Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

ADVERTISEMENT
FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. View our Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Find us on Facebook