The Veil Nebula is a large supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus. The supernova which created the nebula occurred more than 30.000 years ago, about 1.600 light years away towards the Cygnus arm of our galaxy. The remnant takes the form of a large 3 degrees wide loop in the sky, only the western part is imaged here. It surrounds the 4th magnitude star 52 Cygnii and was designated the number 6960 in the New General Catalogue. It features a filamentary structure which is visible in big telescopes and on this photograph. Europeans sometimes call it "Firebird" as it resembles a wide-winged bird seen from the front with the bright star being the body.

Western Part of the Veil Nebula, Wright-Newtonian photograph.