Phantom in the Veil Nebula

    On the eve of Halloween, NASA tickles the nerves of space lovers, inviting their imagination to complete an infernal attack.



    The frightening forms of this fiber monster, the Veil Nebula, will remind many of their childhood fears. The beautiful diffuse nebula is the remnant of a supernova and is located at a distance of about 1400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The time of the explosive death of a massive star is from 5 to 8 thousand years ago. During this time, the nebula has swelled to a size that occupies about 3 degrees in the sky.

    The image shows the eastern part of Veil, 0.5 degrees in size, which is comparable to the angular diameter of the moon. Given the distance from Earth, the size of this part of the nebula is equal to 12 light years. Radiation of hydrogen molecules is shown in red, and oxygen in green-blue tones.

    Another seasonal gingerbread: in the western part of Veil there is the Witch's broom nebula ...



    Image Rights 1: Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Observatory); 2: Robert Franke. Based on APOD .

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