The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. Located about 5,000 light-years away from Earth, it is a vast cloud of gas and dust spanning approximately 25 light-years in width. Its distinct shape is created by the stellar wind from the central Wolf-Rayet star, WR 136. Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, hot, and short-lived, with strong winds that expel a lot of mass. WR 136's fast stellar wind is colliding with slower material it ejected as a red giant hundreds of thousands of years ago. This collision forms a shell and shock waves, with the inward shock heating the stellar wind to emit X-rays. The nebula is mostly hydrogen and oxygen, with colors indicating energized elements. The star WR 136 is rapidly consuming its fuel and is expected to end its life in a supernova.

Seestar S50

Stacked and processed about 900 images, 20-seconds each in Pixinsight.