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NGC 7380, commonly known as the Wizard Nebula, is a sprawling emission nebula and star-forming region located in the constellation Cepheus, roughly 7,200 light-years from Earth. Carved into a fantastical shape by the radiation and winds of massive young stars, the nebula earns its nickname from the suggestion of a robed figure emerging from the surrounding clouds of gas and dust. As part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm, this region is an active stellar nursery where new stars are continually taking shape.
In deep astronomical images, the Wizard Nebula displays a vivid interplay of crimson hydrogen emission, cool blue ionized oxygen, and dark, sculpted dust lanes twisting through its glowing body. Turbulent plumes of gas rise like ethereal flames, shaped by energetic outflows from the embedded star cluster NGC 7380. These newborn stars flood the nebula with ultraviolet radiation, illuminating its intricate architecture and carving sharp boundaries between dense, shadowed regions and brilliant emission fronts.
Filaments curl around knots of dust, while arcs and pillars form natural pathways through the nebula’s structure — each shaped by the delicate balance between gravity, radiation, and stellar winds. Across the field, scattered stars shimmer against a dark cosmic backdrop, adding depth and contrast to the scene.
The Wizard Nebula is both imaginative and dynamic — a true celestial sculpture in motion, where the forces of star birth continually reshape and refine the glowing clouds that surround them.
Constellation: Cepheus
Distance: ~7,200 light-years
Type: Emission Nebula / Star-Forming Region
Catalog Designations: NGC 7380, Sh2-142
NGC 7380, commonly known as the Wizard Nebula, is a sprawling emission nebula and star-forming region located in the constellation Cepheus, roughly 7,200 light-years from Earth. Carved into a fantastical shape by the radiation and winds of massive young stars, the nebula earns its nickname from the suggestion of a robed figure emerging from the surrounding clouds of gas and dust. As part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm, this region is an active stellar nursery where new stars are continually taking shape.
In deep astronomical images, the Wizard Nebula displays a vivid interplay of crimson hydrogen emission, cool blue ionized oxygen, and dark, sculpted dust lanes twisting through its glowing body. Turbulent plumes of gas rise like ethereal flames, shaped by energetic outflows from the embedded star cluster NGC 7380. These newborn stars flood the nebula with ultraviolet radiation, illuminating its intricate architecture and carving sharp boundaries between dense, shadowed regions and brilliant emission fronts.
Filaments curl around knots of dust, while arcs and pillars form natural pathways through the nebula’s structure — each shaped by the delicate balance between gravity, radiation, and stellar winds. Across the field, scattered stars shimmer against a dark cosmic backdrop, adding depth and contrast to the scene.
The Wizard Nebula is both imaginative and dynamic — a true celestial sculpture in motion, where the forces of star birth continually reshape and refine the glowing clouds that surround them.
Constellation: Cepheus
Distance: ~7,200 light-years
Type: Emission Nebula / Star-Forming Region
Catalog Designations: NGC 7380, Sh2-142