Veil Nebula
Supernova remnant in Cygnus · 2,400 light-years
🔭 Explore Veil Nebula in the 3D map →View Veil Nebula images →| Type | Supernova remnant |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Right ascension | 20h 45m 58s |
| Declination | +30° 36′ |
| Object distance | 2,400 light-years |
| Apparent size | 210′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 146.6 light-years across |
| Also known as | C34 · NGC 6960 · Filamentary Nebula · Western Veil |
Caldwell 34, popularly known as the Veil Nebula, is a supernova remnant (NGC 6960) in Cygnus — the glowing wreckage of an exploded star. It appears as number 34 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 210 arc-minutes on the sky. It is one of the showpiece objects Sir Patrick Moore chose for his Caldwell list of bright targets the Messier catalogue left out.
Although it appears about 210′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 146.6 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Veil Nebula
Veil Nebula lies in the constellation Cygnus and is best placed in the evening sky around August. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. It is best placed for observers in the northern hemisphere, and sits low for those far south.
See Veil Nebula in Universe Finder
Open the interactive 3D map to fly to Veil Nebula and see it in context among the real stars around it. Launch the 3D view →
Sources
- Position, magnitude and angular size from the OpenNGC catalogue (Mattia Verga).
- Object identity cross-referenced with SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg).
- Image credits and the original observation source are linked with each photograph.
Related objects
- Crab Nebula — supernova remnant
- Eastern Veil — supernova remnant
- The Sun — star
- Mercury — solar system