NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula

NASA ^ | 1 Oct, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Meyers

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, an interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant.

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: 52cygni; apod; astronomy; cygnus; hillary; hillaryclinton; nasa; nebula; ngc6960; science; witchsbroomnebula

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[ComputerGuy]

I know just who to send that to.

[citizen]

A Halloween themed offering.

“I’ll get you and your little dog, too!”

[lee martell]

Shield your eyes, Hilary! Just relax. No Night Witches are coming to steal your Vodka/ Tequila Martinis.
The Donald was just making a joke. ///

[dangus]

I don’t see it, but I do see a very creepy skull in the lower-right corner.

[AFB-XYZ]

My ex needs one o’ those.

[Deaf and Discerning]

From supernova to songbird: NGC 6960 takes flight:

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Mtn Climber; Thanks for posting! Pareidolia slide.

"Pareidolia (/ˌpærɪˈdoʊliə, ˌpɛər-/; also US: /ˌpɛəraɪ-/) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where … Wikipedia"

I see something like a giant condor or vulture with spread wings and its head to the left of center. It has a hooked beak and the head is turning to its left. I see a Pteradactyl on its wing tip at the top left. I see the skull that Dangus saw. In the backward right I see a bird head with a long beak and a tuft or crest on its head. I might see more but I am going to stop looking. I think that is enough!