Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history [ http://news.bbc.co.…], a new light must suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was an exploding star [ http://imagine.gsfc…] and record the colorful expanding cloud as the Veil Nebula [ http://nineplanets.…]. Pictured above [ http://robgendler.a…] is the west end of the Veil Nebula [ http://www.astropix…] known technically as NGC [ http://www.ngcic.co…] 6960 but less formally as the Witch's Broom Nebula. The rampaging gas gains its colors by impacting and exciting existing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] nearby gas. The supernova remnant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation of Cygnus [ http://www.multiman…]. This Witch's Broom actually spans over three times the angular size of the full Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The bright blue star 52 Cygnus [ http://www.seds.org…] is visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova [ http://www.chapman.…].
Explanation
Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history [ http://news.bbc.co.…], a new light must suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was an exploding star [ http://imagine.gsfc…] and record the colorful expanding cloud as the Veil Nebula [ http://nineplanets.…]. Pictured above [ http://robgendler.a…] is the west end of the Veil Nebula [ http://www.astropix…] known technically as NGC [ http://www.ngcic.co…] 6960 but less formally as the Witch's Broom Nebula. The rampaging gas gains its colors by impacting and exciting existing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] nearby gas. The supernova remnant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation of Cygnus [ http://www.multiman…]. This Witch's Broom actually spans over three times the angular size of the full Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The bright blue star 52 Cygnus [ http://www.seds.org…] is visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova [ http://www.chapman.…].
Explanation
Credit and Copyright:
Robert Gendler [ mailto:robgendler@wo rldnet.att.net ]
Credit_and_Copyright
Robert Gendler [ mailto:robgendler@wo rldnet.att.net ]
