The Pike Nebula (NGC 6992)

The Pike Nebula (NGC 6992) is an emission nebula, or glowing filament of interstellar gas compressed by a shock wave. It is located in the constellation Cygnus and is part of the larger Veil Nebula. What you see in this image is the expanding remnant of a supernova that exploded about 5,000 years ago. The nebula is about 1,400 light-years away, meaning that when the star that formed the nebula exploded, ancient observers would have seen a star in the night sky that was about -8 magna. This is about the same brightness as the waning Moon.

The Eastern Veil Nebula is a large region of a supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus, formed when a star exploded. Light from this explosion reached Earth about 5,000 years ago.

The eastern part of the Veil Nebula is just a fragment of a much larger complex of nebulae known as the Cygnus Loop. This region also includes the Witch's Broom Nebula (NGC 6960) and the Bat Nebula (IC 1340). The Veil Nebula is a cloud of ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus. It forms the visible parts of the Cygnus Loop, which is also known as the radio source W78 or Sharpless 103. This object is a relatively faint but very interesting supernova remnant.

The supernova that created this object exploded around 3000-6000 BC. The remnants of the explosion have since expanded and now cover an area about 3 degrees in diameter, or 6 times the diameter of the Moon. Visually, three main components can be distinguished:

1. The Western Veil (also known as Caldwell 34), which includes NGC 6960 (the Witch's Broom or Finger of God Nebula) near the star 52 Cygni.
2. The Eastern Veil (also known as Caldwell 33), the brightest part of which is NGC 6992, which extends south and connects to NGC 6995. These two objects, along with IC 1340, are also known as the "Reticulum Nebula".
3. Pickering's Triangle, the bright part of which is on the north-central edge of the loop, but it also extends into the central region.

The Pike Nebula is a striking example of how a supernova can affect the surrounding space, creating grandiose cosmic objects. Studying such nebulae helps astronomers better understand the processes of star formation, as well as the impact of stellar explosions on interstellar space.