NGC 7635 - THE BUBBLE NEBULA EXPANDS

NGC7635 is being ejected by the solar wind from the massive star BD+602522, visible in blue to the right within the Nebula. Next to it, however, lives a giant molecular cloud, visible to the far right in red.

In this place of space, an irresistible force meets an immovable object in an interesting way. The cloud is able to contain the expansion of the bubble gas, but the hot radiation from the bubble’s central star, the radiation heats up dense regions of the molecular cloud causing it to glow. It is about ten light-years old and is part of a much larger complex of stars and shells.

The Bubble Nebula can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Queen of AETHIOPIA ( CASSIOPEIA)

Credit: Nilsson and the Liverpool telescope tour.