Craig Tucker

The #lunarmodule “Falcon” #spacecraft from #NASA mission #Apollo15 rests peacefully on the #lunar surface 🌙

In the background you see the #LunarRovingVehicle or #LRV which was used for the first time on Apollo 15.

The 12 day #moonlanding #mission saw the #SaturnV 🚀 #Rocket #launch on July 26, 1971.

This also was the first “J” mission of #spaceexploration with a greater emphasis on #Science 🧬 coupled with a LONGER stay on the #Moon 🌝

#Astronaut 👨‍🚀 #SpaceHistory 🪐 #SpacePhotography 📸 #SpacePics #Astronomy 🔭 #Stars ✨ #Aerospace #Pilot #AerospaceEngineering #DavidScott #AlWorden #JamesIrwin #Space 🛸👽🛰☄️

2025 October 1

NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula

A starfield is shown that has a multi-filament nebula flowing across it horizontally. The most prominent colors are red and blue.

Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Meyers

Explanation: Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, an interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant.

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)

NASA Official: Amber Straughn

A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,

NASA Science Activation