Swan LoopThe Swan Loop (also known as the Veil Nebula) is the supernova remnant of a giant stellar explosion that took place about 5,000-8,000 years ago.

At the time, the explosion was so bright that it was easily visible to the naked eye from Earth. The Swan Loop covers an area in the sky the size of six full moons, so it's quite a large image.

This image was created by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Telescope with optical images taken by amateur astronomer John Stone. The @NASAChandraXray team has also created a new 3D model of the Swan Cycle. This model shows how the shock wave from the explosion interacts with the gas and dust clouds between the stars.

You can view this 3D visualization and more at nasa.gov/chandra.

Image description:

In the composite image, the remnant resembles a thin cloud in the shape of an inverted letter C in orange, blue, purple and white colors, set against a backdrop of scattered stars.

 

Credit: X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Optics: John Stone (Astrobin); Image Processing: NASA/SAO/CXC/L. Frattare, N. Wolk

It's a very different image, isn't it?