Explanation:
In this colorful mosaic, filaments of gas and dust span
some 9 degrees across central Cygnus, a
nebula rich constellation
along the northern
Milky Way.
A trio of nebulae with popular names highlights
the beautiful skyscape -
the Butterfly, the Crescent, and the Tulip.
At left, the Butterfly Nebula
(IC 1318), lies near bright star Gamma Cygni.
The Butterfly's expansive, glowing, wing-shaped gas clouds are
divided by a dark dust lane.
Near center, the Crescent Nebula
(NGC 6888) is more compact,
a cosmic bubble with a bright edge blown by winds from a massive
Wolf-Rayet star.
On the right is the Tulip Nebula
(Sh2-101), a small
emission region shaped like a blossoming flower viewed from
the side.
All are within a few thousand light-years of the Sun in the
Orion
spiral arm of our galaxy.
The gorgeous mosaic is presented in
false color,
constructed from image data recorded through narrow band filters.
The range of colors was created by a mapping of
emission from hydrogen, sulfur and oxygen atoms in the nebula
to red, green, and blue hues.
Take a survey on
Aesthetics and Astronomy.
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