{"id":23434,"date":"2021-05-22T15:21:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-22T07:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?p=23434"},"modified":"2021-05-22T16:18:49","modified_gmt":"2021-05-22T08:18:49","slug":"the-witchs-broom-nebula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?p=23434","title":{"rendered":"The Witch&#8217;s Broom Nebula"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April the ESA\/NASA project published this stunning image as its <a href=\"https:\/\/esahubble.org\/images\/potw\/\">Picture of the Week<\/a>. In this blog I will first show  some pictures and then give an explanation and some background information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" data-attachment-id=\"23440\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23440\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1041,729\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESA\\\/Hubble &amp; NASA, Z. Levay&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This Picture of the Week revisits the Veil Nebula, a popular subject for Hubble images! This object was featured in a previous Hubble photo release, but now new processing techniques have been applied, bringing out fine details of the nebula\\u2019s delicate threads and filaments of ionised gas. To create this colourful image, observations taken by Hubble&#039;s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument through 5 different filters were used. The new post-processing methods have further enhanced details of emissions from doubly ionised oxygen (seen here in blues), ionised hydrogen and ionised nitrogen (seen here in reds). The Veil Nebula lies around 2100 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), making it a relatively close neighbour in astronomical terms. Only a small portion of the nebula was captured in this image. The Veil Nebula is the visible portion of the nearby Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant formed roughly 10 000 years ago by the death of a massive star. The Veil Nebula\\u2019s progenitor star \\u2014 which was 20 times the mass of the Sun \\u2014 lived fast and died young, ending its life in a cataclysmic release of energy. Despite this stellar violence, the shockwaves and debris from the supernova sculpted the Veil Nebula\\u2019s delicate tracery of ionised gas \\u2014 creating a scene of surprising astronomical beauty.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1616997600&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Return to the Veil Nebula&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Return to the Veil Nebula\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This Picture of the Week revisits the Veil Nebula, a popular subject for Hubble images! This object was featured in a previous Hubble photo release, but now new processing techniques have been applied, bringing out fine details of the nebula\u2019s delicate threads and filaments of ionised gas. To create this colourful image, observations taken by Hubble&amp;#8217;s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument through 5 different filters were used. The new post-processing methods have further enhanced details of emissions from doubly ionised oxygen (seen here in blues), ionised hydrogen and ionised nitrogen (seen here in reds). The Veil Nebula lies around 2100 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), making it a relatively close neighbour in astronomical terms. Only a small portion of the nebula was captured in this image. The Veil Nebula is the visible portion of the nearby Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant formed roughly 10 000 years ago by the death of a massive star. The Veil Nebula\u2019s progenitor star \u2014 which was 20 times the mass of the Sun \u2014 lived fast and died young, ending its life in a cataclysmic release of energy. Despite this stellar violence, the shockwaves and debris from the supernova sculpted the Veil Nebula\u2019s delicate tracery of ionised gas \u2014 creating a scene of surprising astronomical beauty.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-300x210.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23440\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23440\" class=\"wp-image-23440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-768x538.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-428x300.jpg 428w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The image was taken by the Wide Field Camera 3 of the Hubble  Space Telescope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"400\" data-attachment-id=\"23442\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23442\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"940,400\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Hubble\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble-300x128.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23442\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23442\" class=\"wp-image-23442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble.jpg 940w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble-768x327.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hubble-500x213.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The image shows a very small part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/skyandtelescope.org\/online-gallery\/ngc-6960-the-western-veil-or-witchs-broom-nebula\/\">Witch&#8217;s Broom Nebula<\/a>, also called the Western Veil Nebula. I have marked the (tiny) location of the detailed image with an x (click to enlarge)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"420\" data-attachment-id=\"23447\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23447\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,657\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ken Crawford&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Witches Broom by Ken Crawford 5 fitler image&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621175977&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Ken Crawford Rancho Del Sol Observatory&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Witches Broom by Ken Crawford 5 fitler image&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Witches Broom by Ken Crawford 5 fitler image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Witches Broom by Ken Crawford 5 fitler image&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-300x123.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-1024x420.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-1024x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23447\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23447\" class=\"wp-image-23447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-1024x420.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-300x123.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-768x315.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-1536x631.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula-500x205.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Witchs-Broom-Nebula.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This nebula is in its turn part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cygnus_Loop\">Cygnus Loop<\/a>. Upper right the Witch&#8217;s Broom Nebula, lower left the Eastern Veil Nebula.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" data-attachment-id=\"23474\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23474\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,533\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621176886&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cygnus-Loop-001-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23474\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23474\" class=\"wp-image-23474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-Loop-001-1-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting confused? Here is the relation between the various images. Left the Cygnus Loop, in the middle the Witch&#8217;s Broom and right the detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"497\" data-attachment-id=\"23443\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23443\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,583\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-300x146.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-1024x497.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-1024x497.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23443\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23443\" class=\"wp-image-23443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-1024x497.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-768x373.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F-500x243.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/STScI-01EVT2BTC9XT1F81HAAEQ4EN9F.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Cygnus Loop is located in the constellation <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cygnus_(constellation)\">Cygnus<\/a><\/strong> (the Swan). Deneb and Vega are very bright stars. The Cygnus Loop (Veil Nebula)  is marked in the lower left <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"23450\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23450\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"731,576\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cygnus-constellation\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation-300x236.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23450\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23450\" class=\"wp-image-23450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation.jpg 731w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus-constellation-381x300.jpg 381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This YouTube video may also help<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rsqZlXREz2E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span> \n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ffff00\">_______________________<br><br>About the Cygnus loop and the Veil Nebula<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Cygnus loop and  the Veil Nebula are the remnants of a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Supernova\">supernova<\/a>. Many thousands year ago a massive star (much more massive than our Sun) had used up all its &#8220;fuel&#8221; and exploded  in a final spasm before dying. In that explosion, much of the star material is ejected, leaving behind a neutron star or even a black hole. For a short period the star can outshine its whole galaxy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this NASA infogram, the development of such a massive star is given. It contains lots of information, but you can skip the details for this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-attachment-id=\"23464\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23464\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final.png\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-300x169.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-1024x576.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23464\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23464\" class=\"wp-image-23464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final-500x281.png 500w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/20190222-webb-supernovainfographic-1080p-72dpi-final.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much research has been done about the Cygnus Loop, the Veil nebula and the star that caused it. The Cygnus Loop is huge, its diameter is about six times the diameter of the moon. You need basically a telescope to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a so-called emission nebula. The gas and dust in the nebula is ionised by the shockwave of the exploded star and the light we observe is the light emitted by the atoms in the nebula. The color of the emitted light depends on the kind of element. Very simplified: hydrogen emits reddish light, oxygen bluish light etc. When you look at the image of the Witch&#8217;s Broom nebula, you see that it mainly consists of (ionised) hydrogen  and oxygen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Determining the distance of the Cygnus Loop is a complicated process and you will find many values on the Internet.  A distance of ~ 2400 lightyear is nowadays accepted by most astronomers. This would give the actual size of the Cygnus Loop as 130 lightyear! The loop  is still expanding with a speed  of ~ 1.5 million km\/h<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When did the star explode?  Many different estimates. In the  <a href=\"https:\/\/esahubble.org\/images\/potw2113a\/\">release<\/a> of the first picture above  a value of ~10000 year is given ( and a distance of 2100 lightyear). Humans living in that time would have observed the sudden appearance of a very bright &#8220;new&#8221; star, brighter than Venus and probably even visible in broad daylight. That explains the name (super)nova with nova meaning new in Latin. Supernovae are very rare, the last one in our own Milky Way, visible from Earth, was observed and studied by Kepler in 1604.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientists are still searching for a neutron star, or a blackhole in the center of the nebula, but until now nothing has been found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot more can be said about supernovae. In the infogram above they are called &#8220;Engines of Creation&#8221;  and that is an apt description.  After the Big Bang the Universe consisted of hydrogen and helium, there was no oxygen no sulfur, no calcium, no iron etc.  But Earth and all living creatures are built from those elements. How come?  The answer is simple, all those elements have been formed inside stars!  We are literally Star Children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ffff00\">_______________________<br><br>About the pictures<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Wide Field Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope takes colorful pictures.  Wrong!  It takes black and white pictures as do basically all other telescopes.  But it uses a filter to select only  a specific color (range). And it takes pictures of the same object using other filters, selecting different colors. For the picture above with the stunning details of the Witch&#8217;s Broom five filters were used. And those filters are not just simple pieces of red, green or blue glass. A widely used filter is the H-alpha filter, that only lets through the red light of hydrogen (technically: a wavelength of 656 nm, bandwidth a few nm). Here is a picture of the Cygnus loop, using a H-alpha filter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"794\" height=\"529\" data-attachment-id=\"23471\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23471\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"794,529\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"veil_2004-07-13_web\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23471\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23471\" class=\"wp-image-23471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web.jpg 794w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/veil_2004-07-13_web-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compare it with this photo, taken with a color camera without  any filters. Dominated by the numerous stars, the Witch&#8217;s Broom nebula is (almost) invisible,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"23475\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23475\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Picasa&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621393142&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cygnus_Loop_stars-001\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23475\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23475\" class=\"wp-image-23475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cygnus_Loop_stars-001-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other popular filters in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Astrophotography\">astrophotography<\/a> are SII and OIII filters They select the colors of ionised Oxygen blueish and Sulfur (reddish) respectively and block all the other colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"641\" height=\"442\" data-attachment-id=\"23479\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23479\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII.png\" data-orig-size=\"641,442\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OIII\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII-300x207.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23479\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23479\" class=\"wp-image-23479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII.png 641w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII-300x207.png 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OIII-435x300.png 435w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 641px) 100vw, 641px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"437\" data-attachment-id=\"23478\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23478\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha.png\" data-orig-size=\"646,437\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"H-alpha\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha-300x203.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23478\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23478\" class=\"wp-image-23478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha.png 646w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/H-alpha-443x300.png 443w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"652\" height=\"438\" data-attachment-id=\"23480\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23480\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII.png\" data-orig-size=\"652,438\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SII\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII-300x202.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23480\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII.png\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23480\" class=\"wp-image-23480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII.png 652w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/SII-447x300.png 447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Combining pictures, taken with different filters, you must assign colors to the black and white images. One option is to choose colors that correspond  closely to the color of the filter. In that case the result will look more or less &#8220;natural&#8221;. The red-blue image of the Cygnus loop is a result of combining the H, O and S filters.  But of course you can assign different colors to the B&amp;W pictures. Like in the image below, where hydrogen is green(!),  oxygen blue and sulfur red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" data-attachment-id=\"23482\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23482\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,528\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Science Photo Library&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, optical image. This is a series of shells of gas cast off by a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star. The loop has an apparent diameter four times the width of the full Moon. The shells of gas impact the interstellar medium at great speeds, compressing it into a plasma and causing the gases to emit light. Light emitted by different ionised gases is colour coded: sulphur is red, hydrogen is green and oxygen is blue. It is thought that the supernova responsible for this remnant occurred between 5-8000 years ago. Its distance is uncertain, but is thought to be between 1400-2600 light years. It lies in the constellation Cygnus.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;RUSSELL CROMAN\\\/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cygnus Loop supernova remnant&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cygnus Loop supernova remnant\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, optical image. This is a series of shells of gas cast off by a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star. The loop has an apparent diameter four times the width of the full Moon. The shells of gas impact the interstellar medium at great speeds, compressing it into a plasma and causing the gases to emit light. Light emitted by different ionised gases is colour coded: sulphur is red, hydrogen is green and oxygen is blue. It is thought that the supernova responsible for this remnant occurred between 5-8000 years ago. Its distance is uncertain, but is thought to be between 1400-2600 light years. It lies in the constellation Cygnus.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors-300x198.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23482\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23482\" class=\"wp-image-23482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Cynus-Loop-other-colors-455x300.jpg 455w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hubble Space Telescope can also  use infrared or ultraviolet filters. Here is the Cygnus loop in ultraviolet, blue has been assigned to the B&amp;W image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"23484\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23484\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,1024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"633189main_pia15415-full_full\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full-300x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23484\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23484\" class=\"wp-image-23484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/633189main_pia15415-full_full-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hubble website has a very informative section <a href=\"http:\/\/hubble.stsci.edu\/gallery\/behind_the_pictures\/meaning_of_color\/\">The meaning of color in Hubble Images<\/a>. It shows how the B&amp;W images can be combined in various ways. Very readable, with examples. Here are three. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Left is Mars, where the three filters have been assigned their &#8220;real&#8221; color. In the middle the famous &#8220;Pillars of Creation&#8221;, a star forming region. The red hydrogen is depicted  in green, the red sulfur light in red and the green oxygen light in blue. The last example shows Saturn in unusual colors, because the B&amp;W pictures were taken with various infrared filters. Near infrared is shown as blue, the middle range as green and the far infrared as red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"483\" height=\"800\" data-attachment-id=\"23486\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23486\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"483,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jan Stuivenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621277074&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Mars-001\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001-181x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23486\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23486\" class=\"wp-image-23486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001.jpg 483w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Mars-001-181x300.jpg 181w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"486\" height=\"800\" data-attachment-id=\"23485\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23485\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"486,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jan Stuivenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621276785&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Eagle-Nebula-001\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001-182x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23485\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23485\" class=\"wp-image-23485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001.jpg 486w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eagle-Nebula-001-182x300.jpg 182w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 486px) 100vw, 486px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"486\" height=\"800\" data-attachment-id=\"23487\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23487\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"486,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jan Stuivenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621277168&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Saturn-001\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001-182x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23487\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23487\" class=\"wp-image-23487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001.jpg 486w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Saturn-001-182x300.jpg 182w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 486px) 100vw, 486px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally here is again April&#8217;s Picture of the Week .  The text says that It is a combination of five B&amp;W images,  Hydrogen in red, oxygen in blue and sulfur in green. No information about the other two.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" data-attachment-id=\"23440\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23440\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1041,729\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESA\\\/Hubble &amp; NASA, Z. Levay&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This Picture of the Week revisits the Veil Nebula, a popular subject for Hubble images! This object was featured in a previous Hubble photo release, but now new processing techniques have been applied, bringing out fine details of the nebula\\u2019s delicate threads and filaments of ionised gas. To create this colourful image, observations taken by Hubble&#039;s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument through 5 different filters were used. The new post-processing methods have further enhanced details of emissions from doubly ionised oxygen (seen here in blues), ionised hydrogen and ionised nitrogen (seen here in reds). The Veil Nebula lies around 2100 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), making it a relatively close neighbour in astronomical terms. Only a small portion of the nebula was captured in this image. The Veil Nebula is the visible portion of the nearby Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant formed roughly 10 000 years ago by the death of a massive star. The Veil Nebula\\u2019s progenitor star \\u2014 which was 20 times the mass of the Sun \\u2014 lived fast and died young, ending its life in a cataclysmic release of energy. Despite this stellar violence, the shockwaves and debris from the supernova sculpted the Veil Nebula\\u2019s delicate tracery of ionised gas \\u2014 creating a scene of surprising astronomical beauty.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1616997600&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Return to the Veil Nebula&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Return to the Veil Nebula\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This Picture of the Week revisits the Veil Nebula, a popular subject for Hubble images! This object was featured in a previous Hubble photo release, but now new processing techniques have been applied, bringing out fine details of the nebula\u2019s delicate threads and filaments of ionised gas. To create this colourful image, observations taken by Hubble&amp;#8217;s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument through 5 different filters were used. The new post-processing methods have further enhanced details of emissions from doubly ionised oxygen (seen here in blues), ionised hydrogen and ionised nitrogen (seen here in reds). The Veil Nebula lies around 2100 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan), making it a relatively close neighbour in astronomical terms. Only a small portion of the nebula was captured in this image. The Veil Nebula is the visible portion of the nearby Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant formed roughly 10 000 years ago by the death of a massive star. The Veil Nebula\u2019s progenitor star \u2014 which was 20 times the mass of the Sun \u2014 lived fast and died young, ending its life in a cataclysmic release of energy. Despite this stellar violence, the shockwaves and debris from the supernova sculpted the Veil Nebula\u2019s delicate tracery of ionised gas \u2014 creating a scene of surprising astronomical beauty.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-300x210.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23440\" data-link=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=23440\" class=\"wp-image-23440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-1024x717.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-768x538.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021-428x300.jpg 428w, https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In April the ESA\/NASA project published this stunning image as its Picture of the Week. In this blog I will first show some pictures and then give an explanation and some background information. The image was taken by the Wide &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?p=23434\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-astronomy","category-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Veil-nebula-April-2021.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2LqIR-65Y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23434"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23493,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434\/revisions\/23493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}