The region around NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, is a rich and energetic pocket of Cassiopeia filled with star forming activity and sculpted gas. The Bubble itself is created by the fierce stellar wind from the massive O type star BD+60 2522, which sweeps surrounding hydrogen into a nearly spherical shell. Nearby lies the sprawling emission complex Sh2 157, often called the Lobster Claw Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation from young stars excites clouds of hydrogen and sulfur. The contrast between the smooth bubble and the intricate filaments of Sh2 157 highlights the different ways massive stars shape their environments.
Sharing the same cosmic neighborhood are the open cluster M52 and the star forming region NGC 7538. M52 provides a dense field of young, hot stars that glitter against the nebular backdrop. NGC 7538 hosts some of the largest known protostellar objects in the Milky Way and continues to give birth to new stars within heavily obscured molecular clouds. Together these objects form a vibrant landscape that demonstrates how stellar winds, radiation, and gravity interact to carve the structure of the galactic plane.
The region around NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, is a rich and energetic pocket of Cassiopeia filled with star forming activity and sculpted gas. The Bubble itself is created by the fierce stellar wind from the massive O type star BD+60 2522, which sweeps surrounding hydrogen into a nearly spherical shell. Nearby lies the sprawling emission complex Sh2 157, often called the Lobster Claw Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation from young stars excites clouds of hydrogen and sulfur. The contrast between the smooth bubble and the intricate filaments of Sh2 157 highlights the different ways massive stars shape their environments.
Sharing the same cosmic neighborhood are the open cluster M52 and the star forming region NGC 7538. M52 provides a dense field of young, hot stars that glitter against the nebular backdrop. NGC 7538 hosts some of the largest known protostellar objects in the Milky Way and continues to give birth to new stars within heavily obscured molecular clouds. Together these objects form a vibrant landscape that demonstrates how stellar winds, radiation, and gravity interact to carve the structure of the galactic plane.