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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Wisps of the Veil Nebula
Explanation: These wisps of gas are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. Many thousands of years ago that star exploded in a supernova leaving the Veil Nebula , pictured above . At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon toward the constellation of Cygnus , visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history . The remaining supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away and covers over five times the size of the full Moon . The bright wisp on the right is known as the Witch's Broom Nebula and can be seen with a small telescope. The Veil Nebula is also known as the Cygnus Loop .
| Date | February 4, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss ( Astropix.com ) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |