Beautiful images of the Bubble Nebula, NCG 7635, and facts about the massive star producing the expanding shell of material that gives the nebula its name.
The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is located about 7,100 lightyears from Earth in the direction of the W-shaped Cassiopeia constellation.
This remarkably-spherical looking cosmic cloud is the result of a giant star that's 45 times as massive as our own Sun and glows a million times brighter.
The star emits streams of charged particles known as stellar winds out into space at speeds of about 4 million miles an hour.
Throughout its life, this star's winds have pushed cold, interstellar gas and dust outwards, producing the bubble shape that gives the nebula its name.
This process won't last forever, though. Astronomers reckon in about 10 to 20 million years the star will explode in an event known as a supernova.
The Bubble Nebula, a seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
The Bubble Nebula is 7 lightyears across and was discovered in 1787 by astronomer William Herschel.
Below is a selection of images of the Bubble Nebula captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers and astrophotographers around the world.
If you would like to submit your astro images to BBC Sky at Night Magazine, find out how to send us your images. You can also share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula by Wayne Stallard, Essex, UK. Equipment: Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO Mount, Altair Astro 8" RC Scope, SBIG-ST10XME CFW9 and LRGB filters.Bubble Nebula in narrowband by Dave Trewren, Bristol, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 120ED main scope with TS FF & 80ST guidescope with StarShoot autoguider. Main camera QHY9M filterwheel & Baader NB filters. Mount used HEQ5 Pro on a mobile pier.Bubble Nebula by Lee Housden, Essex, UK. Equipment: CPC 8" Shmit, QHY5, Skywatcher 80mm Apo, Focal Reducer, Canon 450D modded, Clip Filter.Bubble Nebula in mono Ha by Tom Richardson, Smethwick, Birmingham, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 80ED f/7.5, Heq5 mount, Atik 16ic mono ccd, Baader 7nm Ha filter.The Bubble and Messier 52 by Graham Green, Waterlooville, Hampshire, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 600 DSLR camera, William Optics 90mm Megrez, NEQ6 Pro mount.The Bubble Nebulae by John Maclean, Exeter, UK. Equipment: WOZ66 and Atik 314L The Bubble Nebulae by John Maclean, Exeter, UK. Equipment: WOZ66 and Atik 314L M52 and the Bubble by Tom Howard, Crawley, Sussex, UK. Equipment: Nikon D7000 DSLR camera through a Meade 5000 127mm refractor mounted on an EQ6.The Bubble Nebula by Tom Howard, Crawley, Sussex, UK. Equipment: Nikon D7000 DSLR camera through a Meade 5000 127mm refractor mounted on an EQ6.Caldwell 11 Bubble Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron c11 sct, skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Canon Eos 1100d self-modified and Astronomik CLS CCD clip filter.NGC7635 - Bubble Nebula by Simon Todd, Ireland. Equipment: Astro Tech AT8RC Imaging Scope, Skywatcher NEQ6Pro GEM Mount, Canon 500D Modified and Cooled to -15C, QHY5 Guide camera on Off Axis GuiderC11 Bubble Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: GSO 8" Richey-Chretien Optical tube, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik HARGB filters.NGC 7635 The Bubble Nebula (CFHT palette) by Ian Russell, Sutton Courtenay, UK. Equipment: 11" EdgeHD @f/7, Celestron 0.7 reducer, Atik 490 ex, 2" Baader filters, CGEM DX, Atik OAG, QHY IMG0H, PHDNGC7635 Bubble Nebula by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: Televue NP127is, Losmandy G11, Gemini L.4, Atik 490EX, TV Pronto, Loadstar.Bubble Nebula - NCG7635 by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 6", unmodded Canon 1000d, CLS clip filter.Bubble Nebula and M52 by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Sktwawatcher Espirt 100ED, Ioptron CEM 60 Mount, QSI 690 CCDThe Bubble Nebula by Steve Dean, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. Equipment: Skywatcher EQ5, HEQ5 Mount, SBIG 2000XM, ED80 mm Refractor.NGC7635 - The Bubble Nebula by Gavin James, Marlborough, UK. Equipment: Celestron EdgeHD 800, Reducer, QSI-683-WSG.Bubble Nebula Wide field by David Slack, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Equipment: Revelation ED66 refractor, Canon EOS1100d DSLR, Astronomik CLS filter, skywatcher HEQ5 syntrek.The Bubble Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Altair Astro RC 250TT Scope, QSI 690 CCD, Ioptron CEM 60.The Bubble Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: RC 250TT, QSI 690 in RGB Ha, Ioptron CEM 60 mount.Bubble Nebula by Andrew Merrick, Newgale, UK. Equipment: Atik 314L mono, Williams Optics Megrez 120, EQ6, Starshoot and phd guiding.The Bubble Nebula by Chris Grimmer, Norfolk, UK. Equipment: Starlight Xpress SXVR H694 Mono, William Optic GT81, Skywatcher HEQ5Stellar Duck by Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez, Daganzo de Arriba, Madrid, Spain. Equipment: TS115 Triplet APO 800mm f/7, Atik 460EX Mono, Baader Ha 7nm, Baader OIII 8,5nm, NEQ6 Pro II EQMO, Lunático EZG-60 LodestarNGC7635 by Stephen Dean, Isle of Wight, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher ED 80mm, SBIG 2000 XM, NEQ6 PRO mount.Bubble Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Altair Astro RC 250TT Scope, QSI 690 CCD, Ioptron CEM 60.Bubble Nebula (NGC7635) and M52 by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 150p, HEQ5 Pro GOTO, Modded Canon 1000d CLS Clip Filter, Skywatcher Coma Corrector, QHY5L-II, PHD2, ST80 GuidescopeNGC 7635 The Bubble Nebula by Pat Rodgers, Huddersfield, UK. Equipment: SW200p, Atik 314L Mono, Baader NB filters, AZ EQ6 GT. Guided with a ST80, Zwo ASI130mm in PHD2.Bubble Nebula by Tom Howard, Crawley, Sussex, UK. Equipment: Nikon D7000 DSLR, Meade 5000 127mm refractor, AZ-EQ6 mount.Bubble Nebula and Cluster by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher Esprit 100ed, Ioptron CEM60 mount, QSI 690 CCD.C11 Bubble Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.Bi Colour Bubble Nebula by Jay Bird, Devon, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher ED80, ATK16HR, EQ6, Finderguider 50mm, Astronomik ha, Baader oiiiBubble Nebula - NGC7635 by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Sky-watcher 130pds, HEQ5, QHY Img2Pro, Astronomik Ha, OIII Clip FiltersNGC7635 - Bubble Nebula by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Quattro 8-CF 8" F4 Newtonian, Celestron C80ED, Atik Cameras 383L Mono CCD Cooled to -20C, Qhyccd 5L-II, Skywatcher EQ8 Pro.Bubble Nebula In Ha by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Takahashi 130 telescope, QSI 690 CCD, Ioptron CEM60.The Bubble Nebula by Chris Grimmer, Norwich, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 80mm Equinox, HEQ5, Starlight xpress H694 monoBubble Nebula, Herbig-Haro 170, M52 and more... by Ron Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Equipment: Moravian G3-16200 EC, 10" f/3.6 ASA astrograph, Paramount MX, QHY5, Lumicon 500mm f.l. achromat, SkyX, FocusMax, Optolong Ha, O3 and RGB filters.Bubble Nebula by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK. Equipment: Tak 130, QSI 690 CCD, Ioptron CEM60 MountNGC7635 - Bubble Nebula LRGB HA by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Quattro 8-CF 8" F4 Newtonian, Celestron C80ED, Atik Cameras 383L Mono CCD Cooled to -20C, Qhyccd 5L-II, kywatcher EQ8 Pro.NGC7635 - Bubble Nebula in SHO by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Quattro 8-CF 8" F4 Newtonian, Celestron C80ED, Atik Cameras 383L Mono CCD Cooled to -20C, Qhyccd 5L-II, Skywatcher EQ8 Pro.Bubble & M52 by Paul Gordon, Rochford, Essex, UK. Equipment: Borg 77ED II Refractor, Modded Canon EOS 1000D DSLR, CLS light pollution filter, Skyscan HEQ5 Pro.C11 Bubble Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik Sii, Ha, Oiii filters, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.The Bubble nebula, NGC7635 by Phill Froggett, Buckland, Hertfordshire, UK. Equipment: Canon 60Da, Skywatcher 200p & NEQ6 Belt modifiedC11 Bubble Nebula & M52 Open Cluster by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Telescope service 8" Boren simon power newtonian, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters.
