Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960)

The Western Veil Nebula, NGC 6960, is a cloud of heated and ionized dust and gases consisting of oxygen, sulfur, and hydrogen. This object can be found in the constellation of Cygnus, and is sometimes referred to as the Witches Broom. It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop, which is a large but relatively faint supernova remnant. The suspected supernova must have exploded some 5,000 to 8,000 years ago, and the remnants have since expanded to cover an area roughly 3 degrees in diameter which is approximately six times larger than diameter of the full moon. Estimates put this super nova remnant at ~1,470 light years away.

Photo Details

• Credit: Will Jackson, Kevin Bartee
• Date Captured: Sun, 06/26/2011
• Exposure: 134 minutes
• Telescope: William Optics FluoroStar 110 mm ED Triplet APO f/7
• Observatory Guests: John Jackson