Untitled Document
T.A. Rector/NRAO/AUI/NSF/NOAO/AURA
The Crescent Nebula was
created by the bright star that's visible at its center. It may be as young
as 250,000 years, astronomers say.
Also known as NGC 6888,
the nebula is made of gas that is being energized by the strong stellar wind
from the central object, a Wolf-Rayet star named WR 136. These stars are very
hot and massive. They blow material off their outer layers, generating a wind
of debris that streams out and strikes previously ejected material, sculpting
the gas and dust into the intricate shapes seen here. The central star illuminates
the scene.
The nebula is about 4,700
light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. This picture was
taken with the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak
in Arizona. [Wolf-Rayets
and Star Wars]
-- Robert
Roy Britt
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