Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar

Breathtaking images from the Hubble Space Telescope, posted as a daily advent calendar through December.

The Bubble Nebula.

The Bubble Nebula.

The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is an emission nebula located 8,000 light years away in the Cassiopeia constellation. The bubble is created by stellar wind pushing out from a massive hot central star, visible here just left of the center of the image, a purple star partly obscured by blue gas clouds. The nebula is seven light years across—about one-and-a-half times the distance from our sun to its nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri. This stunning image was observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to celebrate its 26th year in space.

Source: 2017 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar – The Atlantic