NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula

This image highlights NGC 7635, famously known as the Bubble Nebula, located in the constellation Cassiopeia. The delicate, glowing sphere is actually a cavity blown out of the surrounding molecular cloud by the intense stellar winds and radiation from a massive, hot central star (BD+60°2522). The fierce interaction between the expanding bubble and the denser surrounding material creates the sharp, luminous edges visible in this deep capture.

William Herschel discovered NGC 7635 in November 1787. The bubble has a radius of 3 to 5 light-years and the nebula spans about 15 by 8 arcminutes. Its central star, SAO 20575 (BD+60°2522), has a magnitude of 8.7 and a mass of about 44 solar masses. Estimates of the distance vary widely, from 7,100 to 11,000 light-years.

Stacked and processed in PixInsight.