NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula

NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright:
Mike Taivalmaa

Explanation:
Can you see the bat?

It haunts
this cosmic close-up
of the eastern
Veil Nebula.

The
Veil Nebula itself is a
large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the
death explosion of a massive
star.

While the Veil is roughly
circular in shape and covers nearly 3 degrees
on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan
(Cygnus), NGC 6995, known informally as the Bat Nebula,
spans only 1/2 degree, about the apparent size
of the Moon.

That translates to 12 light-years at the Veil’s
estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from
planet Earth.

In the composite of image data recorded through
narrow band filters, emission from
hydrogen
atoms in the remnant is shown in red with strong emission from
oxygen
atoms shown in hues of blue.

Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies
another seasonal apparition:
the Witch’s Broom Nebula.