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Credit & Copyright: Jose Francisco Hernandez
(Altamira Observatory)
Explanation:
Supergiant star Gamma Cygni lies at the center
of the Northern Cross, a famous
asterism
in the constellation of the Swan
(Cygnus).
Known by the proper name Sadr,
the bright star also lies at the center of
this gorgeous skyscape, featuring a complex of
stars, dust clouds, and glowing nebulae along the
plane of our
Milky Way galaxy.
The field of view spans over 3 degrees
(six Full Moons) on
the sky and
includes emission nebula
IC 1318 and open star cluster NGC 6910.
Left of Gamma Cygni and shaped
like two glowing cosmic wings divided by a long dark
dust lane, IC 1318's popular name is understandably the
Butterfly Nebula.
Above and slightly left of
Gamma Cygni, are the young, still tightly
grouped
stars of NGC 6910.
Some distance estimates for
Gamma Cygni place it at around 750 light-years
while estimates for IC 1318 and
NGC 6910
range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years.
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Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: supergiant - star
Publications with words: supergiant - star
See also: