The Cresent & Soap Bubble Nebulas in Cygnus

The Cresent & Soap Bubble Nebulas in Cygnus

This is a two-pane mosaic of the Cygnus region of the Milky Way that features the popular Crescent Nebula (top center) along with the much lesser-known Soap Bubble Nebula (bottom center). Both are emission type nebulae. The Crescent Nebula measures some 25 light years across and is approximately 5,000 light years distant. The very dim and only recently discovered Soap Bubble Nebula (first identified in 2008) lies between 4,000 and 5,000 light years away.

The Crescent Nebula was formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant. The result is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures.

Photo details: Skywatcher Esprit; 100ED; 357mm; F3.6; Reducer Starizona APEX 0.65x; Orion Atlas EQ-G; StarlightXpress Filter-wheel; Guiding with QHY mini-scope.

Images taken during clear, moonless nights in August and September 2022 from near Monterrey, Mexico. Coordinates: 25.6866, -100.3161

Image & Caption Credit: Pavel Vorobiev 

Pavel’s Website https://www.instagram.com/_vorobservatorio_

Image Dates: Aug-Sept. 2022

Release Date: July 6, 2023

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