The Cygnus Loop
This image shows a small portion of a nebula called the 'Cygnus Loop.' Covering a region on the sky six times the diameter of the full Moon, the Cygnus Loop is actually the expanding blastwave from a stellar cataclysm - a supernova explosion - which occurred about 15, 000 years ago.
Credit:About the Image
NASA press release
| Id: | opo9511a |
|---|---|
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 20 February 1995, 06:00 |
| Size: | 1506 x 1525 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Cygnus Loop, NGC 6960, SNR 074.0-08.5 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Supernova Remnant |
| Distance: | 1500 light years |
| Constellation: | Cygnus |
| Category: | Nebulae |
Classic Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 20 56 19.23 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | 30° 22' 29.21" |
| Field of view: | 2.48 x 2.52 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 22.9° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
|---|---|
| Optical Oiii |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Optical H-alpha |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Optical Sii |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |

