2025年6月2日
Veil Nebula: Wisps of an Ancient Supernova
Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi
Explanation: Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. About 7,000 years ago that star exploded in a supernova, leaving the Veil Nebula. 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, also known as the Cygnus Loop, has faded and is now visible only through a small telescope directed toward the constellation of the Swan (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. The featured picture was taken in Kuwait in mid-2024 and features light emitted by hydrogen in red and oxygen in blue. In deep images of the complete Veil Nebula like this, even studious readers might not be able to identify the iconic filaments.
Piece it All Together: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Tomorrow’s picture: rainbow sky
面纱星云: 古超新星遗迹的云气丝
影像提供与版权: Abdullah Alharbi
说明: 像这类的云气丝，是一颗银河恒星仅存的可见遗迹。大约在7,000年前，那颗恒星发生超新星爆炸，产生了面纱星云。在当时，这团扩张云气亮如蛾眉月，而住在信史黎明阶段的人们，连续数周肉眼可见。如今，这个称为天鹅环的超新星遗迹已逐暗去，只有用小望远镜指向北天的天鹅 座方向时才可见。面纱星云的幅员非常广袤，纵然远在1,400光年之处，仍然涵盖了超过5个满月的天区。上面这幅2024年中摄于科威特的主题影像，以红色呈现此星云里的氢发出的光，并以蓝色显示氧发出的光。不过，就连颇为认真的读者，都很难在像这种完整面纱星云的深空影像里，辨认出面纱星云内具有标志形状的云气丝。
拼凑一切: 今日天文学谜题
明日的图片: rainbow sky
