Behind the space veil
© ESA/Hubble & NASA, Z. Levay
Around 1,470 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Cygnus, is the Veil Nebula. This is one of the best known examples of a supernova remnant, whereby cosmic gas and dust released from an exploding star gathers to form huge clouds. The shock waves following the explosion shaped the remnant. It’s estimated that the supernova event occurred around 10,000 years ago.