The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) clearly gets its name from the “bubble” formed by gas ejected by a central star whose stellar wind moving at 4.4 million miles per hour “runs into” a mass of dust and clouds that permeate the area. The “wind” is so powerful that it literally blows the surface off the central star into space and causes the bubble’s expansion as well as its glow. The bubble itself is about 6 light years across and 7000 light years from earth.

The reflecting “panes” on the bubble may be the result of the bubble’s undulating surface (the surface is not uniform) as the surface reacts differently to the solar wind and to surrounding gases. The central star is off center due to an optical illusion probably caused by the curvature of the surface. The central star is 40 times more massive than our sun.