The Veil Nebula
The Veil Nebula
Some 20,000 years ago, a massive star exploded, sending out a shock wave that sculpted this scene.
The Veil Nebula, as it is called, is about 2,000 light-years from Earth -- nearby in astronomical terms. So we see it as it existed 2,000 years ago, when the light collected for this image left the nebula. By that measure, the explosion occurred 20,000 years prior, in Veil Nebula-time, or 22,000 years ago Earth time. These are all rough estimates, however.
Interestingly, astronomers believe the explosion itself would have been visible from Earth, causing the star to be temporarily as bright as a crescent Moon.
The material cast off by the explosion collides with interstellar gas and dust, creating the wavy patterns seen here. Molecules get excited by the collisions and they glow.
The picture was obtained in 2002 by Jean-Charles Cuillandre using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope / J.-C. Cuillandre / Coelum
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