The Veil Nebula is a large supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus. The supernova which created the nebula occured between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago, and the remnant has since expanded to cover an area of approx. 3 degrees. Estimations for its distance range from 1,400 to 2,600 light years. The brightest sections, designated NGC 6992 and NGC 6995, forms the eastern part of the main loop. It features a filamentary structure which is visible in big telescopes and in this photograph. When finely resolved, some parts appear to be rope-like filaments, caused by thin shock waves viewed edge-on. The remnant's dominating emission line is Hα (red), but there is also some green [OIII] emission towards the eastern (left) edge. The Veil Nebula was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel.

The bright hand-like filamentary structure to the left of the image's center is sometimes called the "Bone Hand" of the Veil Nebula.

NGC 6992/5 - Veil Nebula Arc, the full frame of this CCD-image.