NGC 6979 (Pickering's Triangle)

The central region of the Veil Nebula, Pickering's Triangle (or Pickering's Triangular Wisp)

These clumps of gas are all that remains visible of a Milky Way star. Many thousands of years ago, this star exploded as a supernova, leaving behind the Veil Nebula. At that time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent moon in the constellation Cygnus and was visible for several weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history. The supernova remnant lies about 1,400 light-years away and spans an area five times the diameter of the full Moon. The Veil Nebula is also known as the Cygnus Loop.