Nebula
Crescent Nebula
Nebula · C27 · NGC 6888
Nebula in Cygnus
Photo: Hewholooks · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The Crescent Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away from Earth. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 years ago. The result of the collision 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.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~4,700 light-years
Apparent mag.
+7.4
Apparent size
20.0′ × 10.0′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
C27 · NGC 6888
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 27 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 6888.
- Found in the constellation Cygnus.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
