The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star.
Pictured above is the west end of the Veil Nebula known technically as NGC6960 but less formally as the Witch's Broom Nebula .
Also known as the Cygnus Loop, the Veil Nebula now spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon.