NGC 6888 — The Crescent Nebula
Captured with: Seestar S50 Smart Telescope
Distance: ~4,700 light-years
Constellation: Cygnus
Type: Emission Nebula / Wolf-Rayet Shell
Apparent Size: ~20 x 10 arcminutes
NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, is a luminous shell of gas sculpted by the fierce winds of a dying massive star — the Wolf–Rayet star WR 136. Once a brilliant blue giant, it shed its outer layers tens of thousands of years ago, and now its intense stellar wind slams into that earlier material, heating it to glowing temperatures.
Through the Seestar S50, the nebula appears as a delicate, curved bubble — a translucent arc of pink and teal light. These hues come from hydrogen and oxygen atoms energized by the star’s ultraviolet radiation, tracing shock waves rippling outward through space. The intricate filaments are evidence of chaos frozen in motion, the product of stellar fury and cosmic artistry combined.
In time, WR 136 will end its life in a supernova, scattering the Crescent’s fragile shell into the Milky Way’s vast star fields. What you see in NGC 6888 is a prelude to that final explosion — a dying star’s breath made beautiful.