Posted on 11/12/2024 12:26:33 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: How was the Crescent Nebula created? Looking like an emerging space cocoon, the Crescent Nebula, visible in the center of the featured image, was created by the brightest star in its center. A leading progenitor hypothesis has the Crescent Nebula beginning to form about 250,000 years ago. At that time, the massive central star had evolved to become a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136), shedding its outer envelope in a strong stellar wind, ejecting the equivalent of our Sun's mass every 10,000 years. This wind impacted surrounding gas left over from a previous phase, compacting it into a series of complex shells, and lighting it up. The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, lies about 4,700 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus. Star WR 136 will probably undergo a supernova explosion sometime in the next million years.
(Excerpt) Read more at apod.nasa.gov ...
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
Obola’s NASA Islamic outreach is finally working...
Wow.
Where’s the crescent?
That’s cool!
It looks like my burnt and overcooked sweet potato.
I am also reminded of the Dylan song, "Visions of Johanna": ...Ghosts of electricity, howl in the bones of her face! Where these visions of Johanna, are now taking place..." Suggested I suppose by the diaphanous blue veil shrouding the nebula. (Suggested, although I can't reconcile the sad cow with the imagined ghostly human apparition his late night partner's face.)
Anyway, thanks for posting and sending me on a mind trip to places millions of light years away!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.