Uncovering the Veil Nebula
This image is a stunning close-up of the Veil Nebula - the shattered remains of a supernova that exploded some 5-10,000 years ago. The image provides a beautiful view of the delicate, wispy structure resulting from this cosmic explosion. Also known as Cygnus Loop, the Veil Nebula is located in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan, and is about 1,500 light-years away from Earth.
This small portion of the Veil Nebula is located in the larger segment seen in its western part (the top left corner of the large ground-based overview image). The entire structure spans about 3 degrees, corresponding to about 6 full moons.
The image was taken with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). The colour is produced by composite of three different images. The different colours indicate emission from different kinds of atoms excited by the shock: blue shows oxygen, green shows sulphur, and red shows hydrogen.
Credit:NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgment: J. Hester (Arizona State University)
About the Image
Id: | heic0712b |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 31 July 2007, 15:00 |
Related releases: | heic0712 |
Size: | 1500 x 741 px |
About the Object
Name: | Cygnus Loop, NGC 6960, Veil Nebula |
Type: | Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Supernova Remnant |
Distance: | 1500 light years |
Constellation: | Cygnus |
Category: | Nebulae |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 20 56 48.74 |
Position (Dec): | 31° 8' 15.43" |
Field of view: | 2.49 x 1.23 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 137.9° left of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical Oiii | 502 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical Sii | 673 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical H-alpha | 656 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |