Stirling Astronomical Society Gallery

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is a small emission nebula in Cygnus, formed by shockwaves within shells of gas emitted from a dying star. At the centre of the nebula is a Wolf-Rayet star, WR 136, which has thrown off material in the process of becoming a red giant. Strong stellar winds from the remaining star now energise the Crescent, which lies within a much larger region of Hydrogen nebulosity surrounding Sadr, the central star in the constellation Cygnus.