September 16, 2010
Long before your first heartbeat, stars were busy forging the elements you would one day call your own.
The Veil Nebula
Birthday · September 16, 2010
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APOD published September 16, 2010. Credit: Martin Pugh. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Delicate in appearance, these filaments of shocked, glowing gas, draped in planet Earth's sky toward the constellation of Cygnus, make up the Veil Nebula. The nebula is a large supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born of the death explosion of a massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion likely reached Earth over 5,000 years ago. Also known as the Cygnus Loop, the Veil Nebula now spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon. That translates to over 70 light-years at its estimated distance of 1,500 light-years. In fact, the Veil is so large its brighter parts are recognized as separate nebulae, including The Witch's Broom (NGC 6960) at the bottom of this stunning skyview and Pickering's Triangle (NGC 6979) below and right of center. At the top is the haunting IC 1340. Take a short survey about viewing astronomy images on mobile devices.
Image credit: Martin Pugh