The veil nebula is what remains from a massive supernova some
5,000 to 10,000 years ago and about 1500 light years from earth.
When a star uses up all of its hydrogen, it begins synthesizing
other elements through nuclear fusion. Eventually, the energy
produced by the star cannot counteract the growing weight of the
star's outer layers; the star collapses, and the core explodes in
one of the most energetic and violent events in the universe. This
is a good thing, though, because in this way all the elements heavier
than hydrogen are seeded into space, and the material of the star gets
recycled into new stars, planets, and even people.

What we see as the Veil nebula are areas of the expanding shell of shredded
stellar material slamming into the surrounding interstellar matter, which compresses
and heats the material. The intricately twisted filaments visible in the nebula are
shock waves that we see edge-on. The Veil Nebula is wider in the sky than 6 full
moons, located in the constellation Cygnus. The object imaged here, also known as
Caldwell 33, is the eastern side of the larger Veil Nebula complex. For an image of
the entire Veil Nebula, click here.

Image data:
Camera: SBIG ST-4000XCM
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader MPCC
Exposure: 10 minutes x 23