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.

                              2019 September 19

                           Along the Western Veil
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Min Xie

   Explanation: Delicate in appearance, these filaments of shocked,
   glowing gas, are draped across planet Earth's sky toward the
   constellation of Cygnus. They form the western 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. Blasted
   out in the cataclysmic event, the interstellar shock wave plows through
   space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. The glowing
   filaments are really more like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge
   on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen
   (blue-green) gas. Also known as the Cygnus Loop, the Veil Nebula now
   spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon.
   While that translates to over 70 light-years at its estimated distance
   of 1,500 light-years, this telescopic image of the western portion
   spans about half that distance. Brighter parts of the western Veil are
   recognized as separate nebulae, including The Witch's Broom (NGC 6960)
   along the top of this view and Pickering's Triangle (NGC 6979) below
   and left.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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