APOD: 2024 September 4 – NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the September 4th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). The Bat Nebula is a seasonal feature each fall on APOD, and I expect we will see the WItch's Broom Nebula at some point before Halloween arrives. Both are part of the larger Veil Nebula found in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). This composite image shows the presence of both ionized hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) in this area estimated to span 12 light years (based on its newly estimated 2,400 light years from Earth.

The Veil Nebula is a large supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born from the explosion of a star believed to be 20 times larger than our Sun. Light from the original supernova explosion likely reached Earth over 5,000 years ago. Also known as the Cygnus Loop, the Veil Nebula now spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon.