NGC 6888: 眉月星云

2025年11月28日

NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Greg Bass

Explanation: NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a about 25 light-years across, a cosmic bubble blown by winds from its central, massive star. This deep telescopic image includes narrowband image data, to isolate light from hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms produce the blue-green hue that seems to enshroud the nebula’s detailed folds and filaments. Visible within the nebula, 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. In fact, the Crescent 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.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

NGC 6888: 眉月星云
影像提供与版权: Greg Bass

说明: NGC 6888，又称眉月星云，直径约25光年，是由其中心大质量恒星吹出的恒星风形成的宇宙气泡。这张深空望远镜影像包含窄带影像数据，用以分离氢和氧原子的光。氧原子产生了蓝绿色的色调，仿佛笼罩着星云精细的褶皱和丝状结构。在星云中清晰可见的NGC 6888中心恒星被归类为沃尔夫-拉叶星（WR 136）。这颗恒星正以强烈的恒星风抛射其外层星体，每一万年喷射出相当于太阳质量的物质。事实上，眉月星云的复杂结构很可能是这种强烈的恒星风与早期阶段抛射出的物质相互作用的结果。这颗恒星正以惊人的速度燃烧燃料，并且已接近其恒星生命的尽头，最终将以一场壮观的超新星爆发而告终。NGC 6888位于星云丰富的天鹅座，距离地球约5000光年。

明日的图片: light-weekend