The Bubble and M52
To the eye,
this
cosmic composition nicely balances the
Bubble Nebula at the lower right with open star cluster M52.
The pair would be lopsided on other scales, though.
Embedded in a complex of
interstellar dust
and gas and blown by the winds from a single, massive
O-type star, the
Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is a
mere 10 light-years wide.
On the other hand,
M52 is a rich open
cluster of around a thousand stars.
The cluster is about 25 light-years across.
Seen toward the northern boundary
of Cassiopeia, distance estimates
for the Bubble Nebula and associated cloud complex are around
11,000 light-years, while
star cluster M52
lies nearly 5,000 light-years away.
The wide telescopic field of view spans about 1.5 degrees on the sky
or three times the apparent size of the Full Moon.
