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APOD: 2008 July 1 - Pickering’s Triangle from Kitt Peak
Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star.    About 7,500 years ago that star exploded in a  supernova leaving the  Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop.  At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon, remaining visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of  recorded history.    Today, the resulting supernova remnant has faded and is now visible only through a small telescope directed toward the  constellation of  Cygnus.  The remaining Veil Nebula is physically huge, however, and even though it lies about 1,400  light-years distant, it covers over five times the size of the  full Moon.    In images of the  complete Veil Nebula,  studious readers should be able to identify the  Pickering’s Triangle component pictured above, a component named for a  famous astronomer and the wisp’s  approximate shape.    The above image is a mosaic from the 4-meter  Mayall telescope at the  Kitt Peak National Observatory located in Arizona,  USA.

APOD: 2008 July 1 - Pickering’s Triangle from Kitt Peak

Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. About 7,500 years ago that star exploded in a supernova leaving the Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop. At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon, remaining visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history. Today, the resulting supernova remnant has faded and is now visible only through a small telescope directed toward the constellation of Cygnus. The remaining Veil Nebula is physically huge, however, and even though it lies about 1,400 light-years distant, it covers over five times the size of the full Moon. In images of the complete Veil Nebula, studious readers should be able to identify the Pickering’s Triangle component pictured above, a component named for a famous astronomer and the wisp’s approximate shape. The above image is a mosaic from the 4-meter Mayall telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory located in Arizona, USA.