Quarks to Quasars

WR 134 Ring Nebula

Made with narrow and broad band filters, this colorful cosmic snap shot covers a field of view about the size of the full Moon within the boundaries of the constellation Cygnus. It highlights the bright edge of a ring-like nebula traced by the glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen gas. Embedded in the region’s interstellar clouds of gas and dust, the complex, glowing arcs are sections of bubbles or shells of material swept up by the wind from Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, brightest star near the center of the frame. Distance estimates put WR 134 about 6,000 light-years away, making the frame over 50 light-years across. Shedding their outer envelopes in powerful stellar winds, massive Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a spectacular supernova explosion. The stellar winds and final supernovae enrich the interstellar material with heavy elements to be incorporated in future generations of stars.

1. firstorgasm likes this
2. maravilhas-do-universo reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
3. sleeping4rest reblogged this from expose-the-light
4. ysitequieroamar likes this
5. sweenmachine reblogged this from expose-the-light
6. morethandubstep likes this
7. calllee reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
8. intrinsic-inertia reblogged this from expose-the-light
9. fabiovanzo likes this
10. ofacelestialmind reblogged this from hubble-space
11. xxbeenprettyxx likes this
12. spacepearl reblogged this from slipstreamdreams
13. krangmarch reblogged this from expose-the-light
14. bleebleblaabble likes this
15. astrokyon reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
16. astrokyon likes this
17. mycolourandemotion likes this
18. e-duh reblogged this from expose-the-light
19. e-duh likes this
20. hubble-space reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
21. jeffreywlin1412 reblogged this from expose-the-light
22. ashtonwashton likes this
23. sing-thebodyelectric reblogged this from nerds-are-the-best
24. oldmorbusdementia reblogged this from slipstreamdreams
25. oldmorbusdementia likes this
26. slipstreamdreams reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
27. slipstreamdreams likes this
28. perversionofthetruth likes this
29. losingtheabilitytocan reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
30. cosmonauttum reblogged this from iliveinaspiralgalaxy
31. luciellabella reblogged this from expose-the-light
32. tarotwoman likes this
33. iliveinaspiralgalaxy reblogged this from expose-the-light
34. daintybara likes this
35. thunder-nipples reblogged this from expose-the-light
36. amuous reblogged this from khuzduls
37. greear reblogged this from expose-the-light and added:

    Reblogged because it matches my Tumblog’s color scheme.

38. khuzduls reblogged this from expose-the-light
39. diamonds-and-snow reblogged this from expose-the-light
40. swirlycurly reblogged this from expose-the-light
41. cockrates reblogged this from endless-teeth
42. cockrates likes this
43. mondonoir likes this
44. endless-teeth reblogged this from expose-the-light
45. tiredmomentsintopleasure reblogged this from expose-the-light
46. radon-t likes this
47. houseofbeaunes reblogged this from expose-the-light
48. crinklesandstitches likes this
49. nerds-are-the-best reblogged this from expose-the-light
50. thecutevalentine likes this
51. Show more notesLoading...