National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shared a stunning image of a part of a supernova blast wave taken by the space agency’s versatile Hubble space telescope. The image appears as a delicate and light veil draped across the sky, but it showcases a small section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, which is located around 2,400 light-years away.

For those unaware, a supernova is the explosion of a star – the largest explosion in space. NASA scientists use different types of high-end telescopes to look for supernovas, and this mesmerising image is a result of one such study. 

While sharing the image on Twitter, NASA noted, “Appearing like a delicate veil draped across the sky, this @NASAHubble. The image reminds us of the power of imagination. What does it look like to you?⁣ In reality, it’s part of a supernova blast wave in the constellation Cygnus, ~2,400 light-years away,”

“The original supernova explosion blasted apart a dying star about 20 times more massive than our Sun between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. Since then, the remnant has expanded 60 light-years from its centre. The shockwave marks the outer edge of the supernova remnant and continues to expand at around 220 miles per second,” explains NASA in a blog post. 

NASA scientists had recently spotted a giant gaseous halo around the Andromeda galaxy – nearest galaxy to our Milky Way with the help of Hubble telescope, and now it has helped them capture an image of a supernova blast.