Astronomy Picture of the Day  
    
      Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our  
        fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation  
                      written by a professional astronomer.  
    
                                  2026 July 27  
      A starfield is shown with a big light bubble in the center. To some,  
      the bubble may resemble a skull. Please see the explanation for more  
                              detailed information.  
    
                           NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula  
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Pawe+é Piechnik  
    
     Explanation: What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind  
     from a star, this tantalizing, head-like apparition is cataloged as NGC  
     7635, but known simply as the Bubble Nebula. Taken from Krakow, Poland,  
     the featured view utilizes a long exposure to reveal the intricate  
     details of this cosmic bubble and its environment. Although it looks  
     delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent  
     processes at work. Seen here right of the Bubble's center, a bright hot  
     star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind  
     and intense radiation from the star, which likely has a mass 10 to 20  
     times that of the Sun, has blasted out the structure of glowing gas  
     against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud. The  
     intriguing Bubble Nebula lies a mere 11,000 light-years away toward the  
     boastful constellation Cassiopeia.  
    
                     Tomorrow's picture: volcanic connection  
       __________________________________________________________________  
    
         Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)  
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