Like a pearl within an oyster, the Bubble Nebula hovers within a shroud
of gas in this view from the Kitt Peak National Observatory
Like a pearl
within an oyster, the Bubble
Nebula hovers within a shroud of gas in this view from the Kitt Peak
National Observatory.
The Bubble
Nebula appears as a blue sphere of incandescent gas nestled within two other
shells surrounding the star BD+602522, which shines bright near the bubble’s
center. Radiation from the star ionizes its gassy shell, which in turn gives
the nebula its glow.
This gas
bubble spans about six light-years in diameter and can be found in the night
sky by peering towards the direction of the constellation
Cassiopeia. The magenta hues near the bottom right of this image are wispy remnants
from a supernova that exploded
thousands of years ago.
This image,
which was released this week at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society
in Seattle, marks the first optical image taken of this supernova remnant, said
researchers with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which released
this view.
NOAO
astronomers Travis Rector and Heidi Schweiker recorded this view using the four-meter
Mayall telescope at the Kitt Peak
National Observatory in Arizona.
Editor's
Note: All
week, SPACE.com is providing complete
coverage of the 209th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: T.A. Rector/University of
Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker and NOAO/AURA/NSF
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