NGC 6960/6992/5

Introduction | Map | Sketch | My Best Own Photos | My Own Observations | References || Appendix: My Own Photos

On this page I collect my observations of the galactic emission and reflection nebulae NGC 6960/6992/5, called Cirrus or Veil Nebula in the constellation Cygnus/Swan. All in all, it is about the Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant.

Introduction

The galactic emission and reflection nebula NGC 6960/6992/5, called Cirrus or Veil Nebula, in the constellation Cygnus/Swan is a compound of the galactic nebulae NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5. According to Stoyan, a labyrinth of weak nebulae and fine filaments is distributed over a larger area (2.5° x 3.5°), but this can only to recognized under good observation conditions. And obviously, I did not have these in summer / autumn 2016 ...

But in August 2020, I was able to catch at least a glimpse of NGC 6960 and of NGC 6995 with the eVscope, although all this is far too large for the eVscope's field of view. The Vespera shows already larger sections of both nebulae, but you cannot capture the whole cirrus nebula in a mosaic. This is, however, possible with the Vespera Pro!

NGC 6960		NGC 6992/5
Size: 45' x 5' (Stoyan) Distance: 2,000 light years (Stoyan) Rating: *** (Stoyan)		Size: 55' x 5' (Stoyan) Distance: 2,000 light years (Stoyan) Rating: *** (Stoyan)

NGC 6960 is also called Western Veil Nebula), whereas NGC 6992/5 is also called Eastern Veil Nebula. Together, they are the remnant of a supernova that happened about 8,000 years ago. Various parts of the remnant have different NGC and IC numbers. For example, the objects NGC 6960, NGC 6974, NGC 6979, NGC 6992, NGC 6995 (inofficially called Bat Nebula) and IC 1340 all belong to the same structure called Cygnus Loop:

GALEX image of the Cygnus Loop nebula (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia: The Cygnus Loop (radio source W78, or Sharpless 103) is a large supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Cygnus, an emission nebula measuring nearly 3° across. Some arcs of the loop, known collectively as the Veil Nebula or Cirrus Nebula, emit in the visible electromagnetic range. Radio, infrared, and X-ray images reveal the complete loop.

Note: NGC 6960/6992/5 (Cirrus or Veil Nebula), M 1 (Crab Nebula), and IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula) are the only supernova remnants that I have observed so far.

Map

NGC 6960/6992/5, the Cirrus or Veil Nebula, in constellation Cygnus/Swan (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

NGC 6960/6992/5, the Cirrus or Veil Nebula, in constellation Cygnus/Swan, closer view (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Sketch

The sketch by Michael Vlasov (DeepSkyWatch.com) provides a rough impression of what I wanted to observe in Summer/Autumn 2016: Sketch of the Cirrus/Veil Nebula (NGC 6960/6992/5) by Michael Vlasov (Copyright © Michael Vlasov 2016)

Note: I only have the author's permission to link to the sketch.

My Best Own Photos

eVscope

NGC 6960


NGC 6960 - Aug 20, 2020	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020

NGC 6960 - Aug 20, 2020, photo on top processed (Polarr)	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6995


NGC 6995 - Aug 20, 2020	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020

NGC 6995 - Aug 20, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020

NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed

Vespera

NGC 6960


NGC 6960, Jul 31, 2022 - oiginal (29 frames = 290s)		NGC 6960, Aug 16, 2022 - original (90 frames = 900s)

NGC 6960, Aug 25, 2022 - original (91 frames = 910s)		NGC 6960, Oct 5, 2022 - original (80 frames = 800s)

NGC 6992


NGC 6992, Jul 31, 2022 - original (21 frames = 210s)		NGC 6992, Aug 16, 2022 - original (60 frames = 600s)

NGC 6992, Aug 25, 2022 - original (90 frames = 900s)		NGC 6992, Oct 5, 2022 - original (72 frames = 720s)

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 (Mosaic)


NGC 6960 and 6992, Oct 30, 2022 - original (368 frames = 3860s)		NGC 6992, Oct 30, 2022 - original (368 frames = 3860s), processed

Vespera Pro

NGC 6960


NGC 6960, Nov 4, 2024 - 2000 (372 frames = 62 min)		NGC 6960, Nov 4, 2024 - 2000 (372 frames = 62 min), processed

NGC 6992/5


NGC 6992/5, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min)		NGC 6960, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), processed

NGC 6992/5, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), TIFF processed		NGC 6960, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), TIFF processed, denoised, and further processed

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 (Mosaic)


NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (274 frames = 2740s)	NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (401 frames = 4010s)	NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (514 frames = 5140s)

NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (274 frames = 2740s), processed	NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (401 frames = 4010s), processed	NGC 6960 and 6992, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (514 frames = 5140s), processed


NGC 6960 and 6992, Aug 8, 2024 - 2000 (383 frames = 3830s)		NGC 6960 and 6992, Aug 8, 2024 - 2000 (383 frames = 3830s) processed

NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Aug 25, 2024 - 2000 (394 frames = 3940s), processed

My Own Observations

Observations Summer to Autumn 2016

Regrettably, I did not see anything. Location, observation date, and telescopes used are unknown/forgotten.

Observations August to November 2020

August 19, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 photographed in the new rectangular format without overlay
August 20, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6995 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
August 23, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6995 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
September 7, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6995 photographed (n.o., r.f.)
September 30, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6995 photographed (n.o., r.f.), faint
November 24, 2020 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6995 photographed (n.o., r.f.)

Observations July to December 2021

July 18, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing, poor collimation despite new collimation
October 7, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
October 16, 2021 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed (n.o., r.f.), new image size and processing
December 10, 2021 (Erkerode: eVscope2): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed; found NGC 6960 when searching for NGC 6992/5...

Observations July to November 2022

July 31, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): NGC 6960 und NGC 6992/5 photographed
August 12, 2022 (Erkerode: Vespera): NGC 6960 und NGC 6992/5 photographed
August 16, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): NGC 6960 und NGC 6992/5 photographed
August 25, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): NGC 6960 und NGC 6992/5 photographed
August 28, 2022 (Sumène/France: Vespera): NGC 6960 photographed
October 5, 2022 (Erkerode: Vespera): NGC 6960 und NGC 6992/5 photographed
October 30, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed together as a mosaic
November 24, 2022 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed

Observations September to December 2023

September 6, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): NGC 6960 photographed (V. 2.4.1, DDT), 11 min
December 6, 2023 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: eVscope2): NGC 6960 photographed (V. 2.5, DDT), 20 min

Observations June to November 2024

June 24, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed together as a mosaic
August 8, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed together as a mosaic (about 1 h observed), very faint
August 25, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 photographed together as a mosaic (about 65 min observed), very faint
Oct 11, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): NGC 6992/5 photographed (40 min observed)
November 4, 2024 (Mühlhausen/Kraichgau: Vespera Pro): NGC 6960 photographed (62 min observed)

References

Veil Nebula (Wikipedia): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_Nebula
Cygnus Loop: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_Loop

On this Site

Appendix: My Own Photos

eVscope

NGC 6960


NGC 6960 - Aug 19, 2020	NGC 6960 - Aug 20, 2020	NGC 6960 - Aug 23, 2020

NGC 6960 - Aug 19, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Aug 20, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Aug 23, 2020, photo on top processed

	NGC 6960 - Aug 20, 2020, photo on top processed (Polarr)

NGC 6960 - Aug 23, 2020	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020

NGC 6960 - Aug 23, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6960 - Sep 30, 2020	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2020	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2020

NGC 6960 - Sep 30, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6960 - Jul 18, 2021	NGC 6960 - Oct 7, 2021	NGC 6960 - Oct 16, 2021

NGC 6960 - Jul 18, 2021, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Oct 7, 2021, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Oct 16, 2021, photo on top processed

NGC 6995


NGC 6995 - Aug 20, 2020	NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020	NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020

NGC 6995 - Aug 20, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020

NGC 6995 - Aug 23, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Sep 7, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6995 - Sep 30, 2020	NGC 6995 - Sep 30, 2020, photo left processed

NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020

NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Nov 24, 2020, photo on top processed

NGC 6995 - Oct 7, 2021	NGC 6995 - Oct 16, 2021

NGC 6995 - Oct 7, 2021, photo on top processed	NGC 6995 - Oct 16, 2021, photo on top processed

eVscope 2

NGC 6960


NGC 6960 - Dec 10, 2021	NGC 6960 - Dec 10, 2021	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2022

NGC 6960 - Dec 10, 2021, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Dec 10, 2021, photo on top processed	NGC 6960 - Nov 24, 2022, photo on top processed

NGC 6992/5


NGC 6992/5 - Nov 24, 2022		NGC 6992/5 - Nov 24, 2022, photo left processed

eVscope 2 (3)

NGC 6960


NGC 6960 - Sep 6, 2023, 11 min		NGC 6960 - Sep 6, 2023, photo left processed

NGC 6960 - Dec 18, 2023, 20 min		NGC 6960 - Dec 18, 2023, photo left processed

Vespera

NGC 6960


NGC 6960, Jul 31, 2022 - oiginal (29 frames = 290s)		NGC 6960, Aug 12, 2022 - original (45 frames = 450s)

NGC 6960, Aug 16, 2022 - original (90 frames = 900s)		NGC 6960, Aug 25, 2022 - original (91 frames = 910s)

NGC 6960, Aug 28, 2022 - original (26 frames = 260s)		NGC 6960, Aug 28, 2022 - original (65 frames = 650s)

NGC 6960, Oct 5, 2022 - original (80 frames = 800s)

NGC 6992


NGC 6992, Jul 31, 2022 - original (21 frames = 210s)		NGC 6992, Aug 12, 2022 - original (26 frames = 260s)

NGC 6992, Aug 16, 2022 - original (60 frames = 600s)		NGC 6992, Aug 25, 2022 - original (90 frames = 900s)

NGC 6992, Oct 5, 2022 - original (72 frames = 720s)

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992 (Mosaic)


NGC 6960 and 6992, Oct 30, 2022 - original (368 frames = 3860s)		NGC 6992, Oct 30, 2022 - original (368 frames = 3860 s), processed

Vespera Pro

NGC 6960


NGC 6960, Nov 4, 2024 - 2000 (372 frames = 62 min)		NGC 6960, Nov 4, 2024 - 2000 (372 frames = 62 min), processed

NGC 6992/5


NGC 6960, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min)		NGC 6960, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), processed

NGC 6992/5, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), TIFF processed		NGC 6960, Oct 11, 2024 - 2000 (240 frames = 40 min), TIFF processed, denoised, and further processed

NGC 6960 and NGC 6992/5 (Mosaic)


NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (274 frames = 2740s)	NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (401 frames = 4010s)	NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (514 frames = 5140s)

NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (274 frames = 2740s), processed	NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (401 frames = 4010s), processed	NGC 6960 and 6992/4, Jun 24, 2024 - 2000 (514 frames = 5140s), processed


NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Aug 8, 2024 - 2000 (383 frames = 3830s)		NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Aug 8, 2024 - 2000 (383 frames = 3830s) processed

NGC 6960 and 6992/5, Aug 25, 2024 - 2000 (394 frames = 3940s), processed