Crescent Nebula

The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, is a mesmerizing cosmic bubble. This Astrophotography Canvas Print subject is formed by the stellar winds from a massive central star, sculpting the surrounding gas and dust.

Distance

Approximately 4,700 light years from Earth

Apparant Magnitude

7.4

Object Type

Emission Nebula

Acrylic Print
Crescent Nebula

from $136.06

Canvas
Crescent Nebula

from $108.30

Matte Poster
Crescent Nebula

from $41.15

Crescent Nebula as its being worked on in PixInsight

From the Artist

"I originally photographed Crescent Nebula last year as I was photographing Sadr - a bright star situated in the center of the Cygnus constallation (photo 3).

This year, I decided to return to it with a larger telescope to capture more of its detail.

Located approximately 5,000 light-years away from Earth, the Crescent nebula was discovered by the astronomer William Herschel in 1792. The nebula gets its name from its crescent or bowtie-like shape ( although I still think it looks like a brain), which is formed by the fast stellar winds from the massive star at its center. These powerful winds collide with and heat up the surrounding interstellar gas, causing it to glow and create the vibrant colors seen in the nebula. The Crescent Nebula is an active stellar nursery, where new stars are born from the compressed gas and dust. It serves as a remarkable example of the complex processes that shape and evolve our universe, allowing us to study the birth and death of stars.

The image took about 4.5 hours of integration time during a clear night in early May."

In the Cosmos

The galactic map showing the location of the Crescent Nebula inside constellation Cygnus, the Swan, sits near the bright star Sadr at the cross of the Northern Cross asterism

Located in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, the Crescent Nebula sits near the bright star Sadr at the cross of the Northern Cross asterism. Cygnus is also home to Deneb, one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle.