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> The Veil Nebula, NGC 6960

The Veil Nebula, NGC 6960

author: Tom Davis/Novapix

reference: a-snv11-00055

Image Size 300 DPI: 33 * 22 cm

Ten thousand years ago a star exploded. The supernova remnant is called the Veil Nebula. Here is the west end of the Veil Nebula known as NGC 6960 or the Witch's Broom Nebula. The rampaging gas gains its colors by impacting and exciting existing nearby gas. The supernova remnant lies about 1,400 light-years away towards the constellation of Cygnus. The bright star 52 Cygnus is visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova. The filaments in the right upper portion of the image is commonly called Pickering's Triangle. It was discovered in 1904 by Williamina Fleming of the Harvard Observatory while examining photographic plates of the region. The object was named in honor of her boss, astronomer Edward Charles Pickering.

Keywords for this photo:

2007 - 52 CYGNUS - ASTRONOMY - CYGNUS - CYGNUS LOOP - EVOLUTION - NGC 6960 - STAR - SUPERNOVA - SUPERNOVA REMNANT - VEIL NEBULA -