NGC 7635 - The Bubble Nebula

The Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635, was created by a massive star emitting a fast stellar wind of ionized gas which in turn created a huge space bubble. The Bubble nebula is actually the smallest of three bubbles surrounding a massive star, BD+602522, and is part of a much larger network, S162, comprised of similar bubbles created with other massive stars. As fast moving gas expands off BD+602522, it pushes surrounding sparse gas into a shell, and then energetic starlight ionizes the shell, causing it to glow. The Bubble nebula is about 10 light years in diameter and is approximately 7,100 light years from Earth. The open star cluster to the lower left is M52, the Scorpion cluster, and is located approximately 5,000 light years from Earth.

Image Specifications:

     •  Instrument:  Takahashi FS-102 Refractor (820mm - f/8)
     •  Camera:  Canon 20Da
     •  Filters:  Hutech IDAS LPS (Light Pollution)
     •  Mount:  Losmandy GM-8 Equatorial
     •  Guiding:  Guidedog using 400mm Vixen guidescope
     •  Time / Date :  September 24, 2005, 10:30PM EST
     •  Location:  Coyle Field, NJ
     •  Weather:  Below average transparency, wispy clouds, 60degF
     •  Primary Exposure :  15 x 3min, ISO 1600, RAW, average combined
     •  Calibration Frames:  7 x 3min, ISO 1600, RAW, averaged combined
     •  Image Processing :  Images Plus, Photoshop CS2,NoiseNinja