Veil Nebula, Three Parts

The Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, is the remnant of a supernova that exploded 6,000 to 8,000 years ago. It is about 2,420 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.

This composite image shows the Cygnus Loop's three main components in their correct positions and orientations. From left-to-right:

Click an image to see a larger horizontal version, along with details about how it was acquired.

Missing are areas of faint nebulosity between the these three parts –  and they will remain missing until I become ambitious enough spend the 120+ hours needed to image the entire Cygnus Loop.



Updated August 22, 2023