Not Ready for Primetime Stars
Witches Broom Supernova NGC 6960
My favorite object to view through a large telescope and OIII filter. The pointed end reminds me of a flourescing insect leg. It is visible in my friend's 6" f/5 scope. This nebula is the western portion of the Cygnus Loop - Veil Supernova Remnant NGC 6960. Ha/OIII/SII; 8" f4; Atik 383L+ 4.6 hrs total.- Taken Sept 2011 in the Ancient Bristlecone Forrest, Ca. Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, 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 and record the colorful expanding cloud as the Veil Nebula. Pictured above is the west end of the Veil Nebula known technically as NGC 6960 but less formally as the Witch's Broom Nebula. The expanding debris cloud gains its colors by sweeping up and exciting existing nearby gas. The supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation of Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans over three times the angular size of the full Moon. The bright star 52 Cygni is visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova.
(Courtesy NASA APOD)
Witches Broom Supernova NGC 6960
My favorite object to view through a large telescope and OIII filter. The pointed end reminds me of a flourescing insect leg. It is visible in my friend's 6" f/5 scope. This nebula is the western portion of the Cygnus Loop - Veil Supernova Remnant NGC 6960. Ha/OIII/SII; 8" f4; Atik 383L+ 4.6 hrs total.- Taken Sept 2011 in the Ancient Bristlecone Forrest, Ca. Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, 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 and record the colorful expanding cloud as the Veil Nebula. Pictured above is the west end of the Veil Nebula known technically as NGC 6960 but less formally as the Witch's Broom Nebula. The expanding debris cloud gains its colors by sweeping up and exciting existing nearby gas. The supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation of Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans over three times the angular size of the full Moon. The bright star 52 Cygni is visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova.
(Courtesy NASA APOD)