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Credit & Copyright: Anthony Saab
Explanation:
Chaotic in appearance,
these tangled filaments of shocked, glowing gas are spread across
planet Earth's sky toward the constellation of Cygnus as part of the
Veil Nebula.
The Veil Nebula itself is a large
supernova remnant, an expanding
cloud born of the death explosion of a massive star.
Light from the original supernova explosion likely reached
Earth over 5,000 years ago.
The glowing filaments are really more like long ripples in a sheet seen
almost edge on, remarkably well separated into
the glow of ionized hydrogen atoms shown in blue and oxygen in red hues.
Also known as the
Cygnus Loop and cataloged as
NGC 6979, the
Veil Nebula now spans about 6 times the diameter of the
full Moon.
The length of the wisp corresponds to about 30
light years,
given its estimated distance of 2,400 light years.
Often identified as Pickering's Triangle
for a director of
Harvard College Observatory, it
is also named for its discoverer,
astronomer Williamina Fleming, as
Fleming's
Triangular Wisp.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: supernova remnant - Veil Nebula
Publications with words: supernova remnant - Veil Nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 18 Á The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 September 4 Á NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula
- APOD: 2024 April 16 Á Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 April 3 Á Unusual Nebula Pa 30
- APOD: 2024 March 25 Á Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 February 27 Á Supernova Remnant Simeis 147
- The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave