Sep 3 2010Outerspace, You Never Cease To Amaze Me: The Bubble Nebula

This is the Bubble Nebula, located in the Cassiopeia constellation, over 11,000 light-years away. Which, I think we can all agree, would make one hell of a road trip. OMG I SWEAR IF I HEAR ONE MORE "ARE WE THERE YET?" I WILL TURN THIS SPACESHIP AROUND AND FLY IT INTO THE NEAREST SUN!

Cataloged as NGC 7635, it is also known simply as The Bubble Nebula. Although it looks delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. Above and right of the Bubble's center is a hot, O-type star, several hundred thousand times more luminous and approximately 45 times more massive than the Sun. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from that star has blasted out the structure of glowing gas against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Holy shit we need to pop that thing. And, perhaps for the first time ever, we're on the same page. I mean, who knows what kind of magical space technology lurks inside that bubble! Hover boots, x-ray specs, invisibility cloaks, time machines -- the possibilities are endless! Just kidding, those are the only four.

A Chrome Marble Floating In Deep Space [gizmodo]

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