                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 July 27
    A starfield is shown with a big light bubble in the center. To some,
    the bubble may resemble a skull. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                         NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Paweł Piechnik

   Explanation: What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind
   from a star, this tantalizing, head-like apparition is cataloged as NGC
   7635, but known simply as the Bubble Nebula. Taken from Krakow, Poland,
   the featured view utilizes a long exposure to reveal the intricate
   details of this cosmic bubble and its environment. Although it looks
   delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent
   processes at work. Seen here right of the Bubble's center, a bright hot
   star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind
   and intense radiation from the star, which likely has a mass 10 to 20
   times that of the Sun, has blasted out the structure of glowing gas
   against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud. The
   intriguing Bubble Nebula lies a mere 11,000 light-years away toward the
   boastful constellation Cassiopeia.

                   Tomorrow's picture: volcanic connection
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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