What caused the bubbles and arcs in NGC 2359?
The main suspect is the Wolf-Rayet star
in the center of one of the bubbles - visible slightly below and
to the right of the center of the above photograph.
Most Wolf-Rayet stars are known to be massive, highly luminous
stars that continually cast off material in a stellar wind - which
commonly form bubbles
in the interstellar medium.
But the unusual structure of the NGC 2359 arcs
indicate something more complex
is going on. Is the star moving supersonically?
Is there another energetic star in the vicinity? Future observations
may give more pieces to this picturesque puzzle.
