                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2025 October 1
   A starfield is shown that has a multi-filament nebula flowing across it
    horizontally. The most prominent colors are red and blue. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                     NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Meyers

   Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human
   history, a new light would suddenly have appeared in the night sky and
   faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova,
   or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil
   Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on
   a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less
   formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the
   cataclysmic explosion, an interstellar shock wave plows through space
   sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band
   filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen
   almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red)
   and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about
   1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's
   Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame
   is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but
   unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant.

                    Tomorrow's picture: the shadowy realm
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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