Cygnus Loop (SH2-103)
Cygnus Loop (SH2-103)
The Cygnus Loop (SH2-103) is a large supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus, an emission nebula measuring nearly 3° across. Also known as the Veil Nebula, it consists of several Parts.
The Western Veil consisting of NGC 6960 the "Witch's Broom", near the foreground star 52 Cygni;
The Eastern Veil consisting of NGC 6992, NGC 6995 and IC 1340;
Pickering's Triangle is brightest at the north central edge of the loop and is joined in the northern central area by NGC 6974 and NGC 6979
Cygnus Loop is 120 ly in diameter and has an age of around 20,000 years. Its distance from Earth is 2,670 ly.
Using the Seestar S30, I started imaging on clear nights in July 2025. Starting with NGC 6960 (2006 20 sec and 25 sec frames) and NGC 6992 (1150 20 sec and 25 sec frames). I then took a mosaic of the entire Cygnus Loop (2998 25 sec frames). Next I imaged the area of Pickering's Triangle and the area west of the IC 1340 (1540 25 sec frames). Finally I combined the 7694 images into a stack using Siril & Seti Astro Cosmic Clarity & Graxpert.
The Cygnus Loop (SH2-103) showing its components:
The Final Result: (about 3.5 months of imaging)
This object will probably continue as a work in progress. There are more areas north of Pickering Triangle and south of NGC 6960 and southwest of IC 1340 that I still need data on.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_Nebula
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_Loop
https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/cygnus-loop/
https://theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/ngc6992-object
https://theskylive.com/sky/deepsky/ngc6960-veil-nebula-object
https://www.galactic-hunter.com/post/veil-nebula
