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 November 25

                          NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis

   Explanation: Do you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the
   eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova
   remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a
   massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers
   nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan
   (Cygnus), the Bat Nebula, NGC 6995, spans only 1/2 degree, about the
   apparent size of the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the
   Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet
   Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through broad and narrow
   band filters, emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in
   red with strong emission from oxygen and nitrogen atoms shown in hues
   of blue. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another
   seasonal apparition: the Witch's Broom Nebula.

                    Tomorrow's picture: galaxy-sized ring
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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