After 5,000 years, the gorgeou VeilNebula is still turning heads.Cataloged as NGC 6992, these glowin filaments of interstellarshocked gas are part of a larger spherica supernova remnant known as th Cygnus Loop or theVeil Nebula -- expanding debris from a star whic exploded over 5,000 years ago.This color digital image of bitof the Veil has been processedand enhanced to reveal stunning details in the diaphanous cosmic cloud.Seen from our perspective against a rich Milky Way star field,the Veil Nebula i nowknown to lie some 1,400 light-years away toward theconstellation Cygnus.At that distance witnessesto the original stellar explosion would haveseen a star in the heavensincrease in brightness to about -8 magnitude, roughly corresponding tothe brightness of the crescent Moon.
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