Hubble Space Telescope Reveals Spectacular Wake of Supernova Blast Wave 15,000 Years Old

Hubble Space Telescope Reveals Spectacular Wake of Supernova Blast Wave 15,000 Years Old
ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Blair; acknowledgment: Leo Shatz, Inset: NASA via Getty Images
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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured the breathtaking spectacle of “veil-like” ribbons ripping through space at incredible speeds—the wake of a supernova blast that would have been visible to humans on Earth some 15,000 years ago.

The spectacular blast wave, known as the Cygnus Loop, emanated from a massive dying star, and it continues to hurl through space to this day.