NGC 7635, also known as the Bubble Nebula, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11, is an H II region[1] emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7[1] magnitude young central star, SAO 20575 (BD+60°2522).[7] The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow.[7] It was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel.[5] The star BD+60°2522 is thought to have a mass of about 44 M☉.
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| H II region | |
Wide field image of NGC 7635 as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 23h 20m 48.3s[1] |
| Declination | +61° 12′ 06″[1] |
| Distance | 7100[2] to 11000[3][4] ly (3,400 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | ~10[5] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 15′ × 8′[6] |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 3[2] to 5[7][4] ly |
| Notable features | Shell around SAO 20575[1] |
| Designations | Bubble Nebula[1] Sharpless 162 (Sh2-162) Caldwell 11 |
| See also: Lists of nebulae | |

With an 8 or 10-inch (250 mm) telescope, the nebula is visible as an extremely faint and large shell around the star.[6][1] The nearby 7th magnitude star on the west hinders observation, but one can view the nebula using averted vision.[6] Using a 16 to 18-inch (460 mm) scope, one can see that the faint nebula is irregular, being elongated in the north south direction.[6]
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New General Catalogue 7500 to 7840 | |
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