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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
We present ASCA SIS observations of the wind-blown bubble NGC 6888. Because the ASCA SIS is sensitive to higher energy photons and has a higher spectral resolution compared to the ROSAT PSPC, we are able to detect a T ≈ 8×106 K plasma component besides the T ≈ 1.5×106 K component known from previous PSPC observations. The existence of a high-temperature component, the observed limb-brightened X-ray surface brightness profile, and the observed level of X-ray surface brightness cannot be satisfactorily explained by currently available models. Reducing heat conduction at the contact discontinuity may raise the central temperature and produce a limb-brightening; however, the expected X-ray surface brightness is still considerably higher than the observed surface brightness.