C34 — Western Veil Nebula
Supernova Remnant in Cygnus
About
The western arc of the Veil, a supernova remnant in Cygnus, catalogued as NGC 6960 and nicknamed the Witch's Broom. The blast came from a massive star about 2,400 light-years away, and its thin shock shells look like ropes when seen edge-on.
Imaging tips
- The naked-eye star 52 Cygni lies on this arc, which makes it the easiest part to find and a handy anchor for framing.
- The whole Cygnus Loop spans about 3°, so a frame of roughly 132′ across at 400–670 mm on APS-C shows only part of it; wide refractors suit it.
- Narrowband Hα and OIII is the usual route: one gallery shows 1 hour of each per panel, and another image used over 4 hours in a bicolour palette.
- Single 5-minute subs show little before heavy processing, so a cooled camera and many subs help.
- Best around July and August, peaking near 71° from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 60′ × 8′
- Magnitude
- —
- Coordinates
- RA 20h 46.2m, Dec +30° 43′
- Framing, APS-C
- 400–670 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 620–1030 mm
- Best months
- Jul, Aug
- Peak altitude
- 71° from 50°N, 86° from 35°N