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Credit & Copyright: Ken Crawford
(Rancho Del Sol Observatory)
Explanation:
Frightening
forms and scary faces are a mark of the Halloween season.
They also haunt
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 in the constellation Cygnus, this portion of the eastern
Veil 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 atoms in blue-green hues.
Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another
seasonal apparition,
the Witch's Broom.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Veil Nebula - supernova remnant
Publications with words: Veil Nebula - supernova remnant
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 16 Á Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 April 3 Á Unusual Nebula Pa 30
- APOD: 2024 March 25 Á Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 February 27 Á Supernova Remnant Simeis 147
- The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
- APOD: 2023 December 26 Á IC 443: The Jellyfish Nebula
- Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A