Wisps of the Veil Nebula.

These wisps of gas are all that remain visible of a Milky Way star. Many thousands of years ago that star exploded in a supernova leaving the Veil Nebula , pictured above . At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright as a crescent Moon toward the constellation of Cygnus , visible for weeks to people living at the dawn of recorded history . The remaining supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away and covers over five times the size of the full Moon . The bright wisp on the right is known as the Witch's Broom Nebula and can be seen with a small telescope. The Veil Nebula is also known as the Cygnus Loop .