Kevin Boardman captures details of the Crescent Nebula

--> Astrophotographer Kevin Boardman created an image of the Crescent Nebula in the constellation Cygnus, showing intricate gas filaments around the massive star WR 136. The object, also known as NGC 6888 or Caldwell 27, is located about 4,700 light-years from Earth.

At the center of the image, WR 136 is visible as a blue dot. It is a Wolf-Rayet star which, according to the publication, is expected to end its existence in a supernova explosion in about 100,000 years. The nebula has a diameter of about 25 light-years. According to NASA, its shell formed from matter ejected by the star as it transformed into a red giant. Fast stellar winds later caused shock waves in the outer shell, forming the filamentary structures visible today.