Veil Nebula: Wisps of an Exploded Star
Explanation:
Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star.
About 7,000 years ago that star exploded in a
supernova leaving the
Veil Nebula.
At the time, the
expanding cloud
was likely as bright as a crescent
Moon, remaining
visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of
recorded history.
Today, the resulting supernova remnant, also known as the
Cygnus Loop, has faded and is
now visible only through a small telescope
directed
toward the
constellation of the Swan
(Cygnus).
The remaining
Veil
Nebula
is physically huge, however, and even though it lies about 1,400
light-years distant, it covers over five times the size of the
full Moon.
The featured picture is a
Hubble Space Telescope mosaic of six images together
covering a span of only about two light years,
a small part of the expansive
supernova
remnant.
In images of the
complete Veil Nebula, even
studious readers might not be able to
identify the featured filaments.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
