The Crescent Nebula shines in the constellation Cygnus. (Image credit: Kevin Boardman) Astrophotographer Kevin Boardman captured this spectacular view of the Crescent Nebula, which reveals intricate filaments of gas surrounding a massive star nearing the end of its life about 4,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Boardman’s image depicts a turbulent chapter in the life of the colossal Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163). which, visible as a blue point of light in the center of the image, is expected to end its life in a spectacular supernova explosion in about 100,000 years. The 25 light-year-wide bubble forms from stellar material shed by WR 136 during its transformation into a red giant star, according to NASA. Repeated impacts from fast-moving stellar winds send shock waves through the outer layer, creating the complex filaments we see today. Cataloged as NGC 6888, or Caldwell 27, the Crescent Nebula, gets its nickname from its crescent-like appearance when observed in certain wavelengths of light. Boardman revealed spectacular details of the nebula by imaging it with a set of narrowband filters for 16 hours and 18 minutes spread over five nights in late July. ZWO ASI533MC Pro (Image credit: Amazon) The ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera is, in our opinion, the best dedicated astronomical camera out there. It features zero amp brightness, 80% quantum efficiency, and a 20 FPS frame rate. It also features a 9MP sensor and you can check out our ZWO ASI533MC Pro review for a more in-depth look. “In the image, the orange-red H-alpha reveals the tangled filaments, while the cyan-blue [O III] “It describes the emission of doubly ionized oxygen around the shell,” Boardman told Space.com in an email. Each filter isolates specific wavelengths of light emitted by ionized gases, allowing different structures within the nebula to stand out. You might like that Boardman collected about 12 hours of narrowband data from the nebula itself, along with four hours and 20 minutes of data capturing surrounding stars, before combining exposures using PixInsight astronomy software during post-processing. The nebula is too faint to be detected with the naked eye, but can be seen with a moderate to large telescope equipped with a light pollution filter throughout the month of September. How to find the Crescent Nebula among the stars of the Cygnus constellation (Image credit: Inset image: Kevin Boardman, created by Anthony Wood on Canva). First, locate the magnitude +2.34 star at the center of the cross-shaped constellation Cygnus, which appears high in the northern hemisphere. observers in late summer. Next, locate the fainter magnitude +4.03 star Eta Cygni using the simplified star map above, or with the help of a smartphone astronomy app. The Crescent Nebula lies directly between these two bright stars and is best seen on the dark nights surrounding this month’s new moon phase of September 10-11. Be sure to check out our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography if you’re looking to upgrade your gear, along with our picks from. The best telescopes to observe the night sky. Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
