Long ago, a massive star 1,500 light years away began to exhaust its nuclear fuel, and its fires began to wane. The relentless inward force of gravity, for ages held in check by the outward flow of energy from nuclear fusion reactions, began to win this titanic struggle. With sudden force, the star collapsed, but its collapse was abruptly halted by a process known as neutron degeneracy, resulting in an explosive rebound that sent the outer layers of the star hurtling in all directions in a cataclysmic "supernova." The energy resulting from such explosions is almost unimaginable--for a short time rivaling the combined energy of 100 billion suns.
The wispy filaments depicted in this image are the remnants of that long-ago explosion. The quiet, almost surreal beauty of the Veil belies, but bears witness to, its convulsive origin. I took this 3-hour image using a hydrogen-alpha filter and a 90mm apochromatic refractor telescope which enabled me to capture the enormous size of the Veil (it spans a region nearly three degrees by three degrees, or the angular equivalent of 36 full Moons).
The Veil Nebula in Cygnus
Date Taken: Location Taken: Conditions of Location: Equipment Used:Takahashi Sky90 3.5" apochromatic refractor telescope with field flattener, Paramount ME mount, SBIG STL11000 CCD camera, Astrodon RGB filters.
Processing Used:12 x 15 minutes using a hydrogen alpha filter, for a total exposure time of 3 hours
Distance from Location:1,500 light years
Constellation:Cygnus (the "swan")
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In all my years as an amateur astronomer, I have not been so blessed as I am at your site … and the Veil Nebula! I see His glory!