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NGC 7635 (The Bubble Nebula)

Date:07.10.1996 Time:20:50 UT Exposure:IF501:10m, IF658:10m, IF672:10m
Field of View:6.6' x 4.5' Receiver:576 x 387 CCD Filter:IF501, IF658, IF672
Instrument: D=2m, f=5.6m Observatory: Pik Terskol, Caucasus Observer:T. Bonev, K. Jockers, T. Credner

© Copyright by the observers


Max-Planck-Institut für Aeronomie

From Colors to Astrophysics:

The used filters are narrowband interference filters placed at the wavelengths 501 nm, 656 nm, and 672 nm and here represented in the colors blue, green, and red, respectively. The visible light of the nebula is line emission of the elements Oxygen ([O III], 501 nm), Hydrogen (H alpha, 656 nm), and Sulfur ([S II], 672 nm). It is interesting to see, that the shell appears blue, according to the higher energetic radiation of the Oxygen. This is a hint, that the shell is of high energetic nature, i.e. it is expanding and producing a shock front in the local interstellar medium. Probably it is an ancient nova remnant.

This image is also available at:

  • Astronomy Picture of the Day, November 17, 1998, NASA
  • Comparing different views of the Bubble Nebula (HST, Malin, and image above), STScI