The image below is one of the Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, located in the constellation of Cygnus 1,500 light-years away from Earth. It spans about 6 times the diameter of a full moon across the night sky (approximately 3 degrees). This translates to about 70 light-years across. The Veil Nebula is a supernova remnant. The gas and filaments of dust are still expanding from the massive explosion signaling the death of a star. The light from the supernova originally reached Earth about 5,000 years ago. The glowing gas is a result of the shock waves from the explosion of the star traveling through and exciting interstellar material. The red portrays atomic hydrogen and the blue portrays oxygen gas. The brightest portions of the Nebula are regarded as separate nebulae such as The Witch's Broom (along the top) and Pickering's Triangle (bottom right off-center).
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