Produced by: Manoj Kumar
The Veil Nebula is the stunning remnant of a massive star explosion that occurred 10,000 years ago, leaving behind glowing filaments of gas.
A new Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a highly detailed view of the nebula, highlighting glowing tendrils of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen.
The Veil Nebula is 50 light-years wide, stretching across the sky as much as six full moons—yet Hubble’s latest image captures just a tiny fraction.
By comparing this new image with past Hubble data from 1994, astronomers can track the movement of gas filaments, revealing how the nebula evolves over time.
The original star that exploded was 20 times the Sun’s mass, releasing immense energy that shaped the surrounding space and set off interstellar shock waves.
The Veil Nebula is located 2,400 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation, meaning the light we see today left the nebula centuries before recorded history.
The expanding supernova debris is enriching interstellar space, seeding it with elements that could one day form new stars and planets.
Hubble used three specialized filters to isolate emissions from different elements, allowing astronomers to see the nebula’s intricate gas structures in detail.
Studying the Veil Nebula helps scientists understand how massive stars die, how their remnants shape the galaxy, and how new cosmic life emerges from destruction.