Return to Scale View
About News Create With Us
Return to Scale View

How big is the Bubble Nebula?

The Bubble Nebula is 70 petameter

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how big the universe is? How about the size of a single nebula within that infinite universe? Let’s take a journey to one of the most intriguing celestial objects, the Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11. This fascinating structure in space will leave you in awe of its size and beauty.

What’s the Bubble Nebula?

The Bubble Nebula is a unique and wonderful part of our universe that lies in the constellation Cassiopeia. It’s an H II region emission nebula, meaning it’s a cloud of glowing gas and dust. The “bubble” is created by a powerful wind from a massive young central star, SAO 20575, which is also known as BD+60°2522. This mighty star has about 44 times the mass of our sun!

How Big is the Bubble Nebula?

You know how big our sun is, right? Well, imagine a space object that’s seven light years across! That’s the Bubble Nebula for you. Light travels at an incredible speed of 186,000 miles per second, and a light year is the distance that light can travel in a year. So, when we say that the Bubble Nebula is seven light years across, we’re talking about a truly gigantic size! To give you some perspective, if we were to compare the size of the Bubble Nebula to something more familiar:

  • It’s about 41 trillion miles in diameter. That’s the same as going around the Earth’s equator over a billion times! - If the Bubble Nebula were a city, it would stretch from the Earth to the sun 4,700 times. - If our entire solar system was the size of a coin, the Bubble Nebula would be as big as a city block.

The Discovery of the Bubble Nebula

The Bubble Nebula was first discovered in November 1787 by the famous astronomer, William Herschel. It’s located near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the nebula while being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. This makes the Bubble Nebula one of the most beautiful and fascinating objects in the night sky.

The Magnificent Bubble Nebula

The Bubble Nebula is more than just its size. It’s a vibrant and dynamic part of our universe, constantly changing and evolving. The central star, BD+60°2522, is still young and very active, with stellar winds that create the impressive bubble shape. This celestial object is a testament to the wonder and vastness of the cosmos.

Conclusion

The Bubble Nebula, with its incredible size and captivating beauty, is a marvelous spectacle in our universe. It helps us understand the vastness of the cosmos and appreciate the wonders that lie beyond our planet. Next time you gaze at the night sky, remember the Bubble Nebula, and imagine the magnificent celestial bubble floating in the infinite expanse of the universe.

Smaller By Category
Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae because it looks like a horse's head. It's a dark nebula in front of glowing pink gas. It was first discovered in 1888. Do you like all those 8s? I do.
Cat's Eye Nebula
The Cat's Eye Nebula is one of the most complex nebulae known. Did you know that the Cat's Eye Nebula is 8,000° C? That's pretty hot! The outer halo is even hotter, at 15,000° C.
Helix Nebula
The Helix Nebula is one of the closest bright planetary nebulae to Earth. It is 650 light-years away from Earth! That's only six quadrillion (6,000,000,000,000,000) kilometers! (That is close, astronomically speaking.)
Larger By Category
Cone Nebula
The Cone Nebula was discovered in 1785, on the day after Christmas. Did you know that the Cone Nebula is a dark nebula and a diffuse nebula? You can find it between Betelgeuse and Procyon.
Black Pillar
This little thingy is a part of the much larger Eagle Nebula. Even though it appears small in comparison to the Eagle Nebula, it's still larger than the solar system, by 10 - 20,000 times, depending on your definition of our Solar System.
Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae. It was also the first Messier object cataloged (M1)! The Crab Nebula's supernova was seen in 1054 AD and was so bright it could be seen during the day. It isn't even 1,000 years old!