Cygnus Loop widefield

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Cygnus Loop widefield

Veil Nebula · Supernova remnant · Cygnus · Approximately 2400 light-years from Earth

Widefield photograph of the Cygnus Loop and surrounding red nebulosity, captured from central Bristol with a Svbony SV535.

TelescopeSvbony SV535

CameraZWO ASI2600MC Pro

SkyBortle 8

Integration16 hours

Captured5 to 9 August 2026

Overview

A stellar explosion has left its mark across this corner of Cygnus. The bright, tangled filaments of the Veil Nebula trace the Cygnus Loop, a vast supernova remnant roughly 2400 light-years from Earth. This widefield view places those familiar arcs within a much larger landscape of glowing gas and stars.

The Bat Nebula and Pickering’s Triangle are both included in the frame. I’ve photographed them individually before, but seeing them together makes it easier to appreciate how they fit into the same enormous structure.

Background

I was really pleased with my Central Cygnus image, and wanted to try another widefield project with the Svbony SV535. I didn’t have to travel far across the sky to find the next target. The Cygnus Loop lies nearby in the same constellation, and its sweeping arcs looked ideal for the telescope’s 105mm focal length.

This time, I decided to concentrate on hydrogen and oxygen. I wasn’t expecting sulphur to contribute as much to the image I had in mind, so I left out the Askar E2 and used the Optolong L-Ultimate for the nebulosity. I also collected shorter exposures with the L-Quad Enhance for the broadband stars.

The project ran from 5 to 9 August 2026, with 16 hours of exposure in total. I’m particularly pleased with how much faint structure came through in such a short run. Passing clouds, short summer nights, and the light pollution of central Bristol weren’t exactly helping!

Explore the field

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Objects in this field 23 objects
Western VeilNGC 6960
Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as C 34 · LBN 191
The western arc of the Cygnus Loop, also known as the Witch’s Broom Nebula.
Explore my FRA400 view →
Eastern VeilNGC 6992
Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as C 33
A bright arc on the eastern side of the Cygnus Loop.
Explore my FRA400 view →
Bat NebulaNGC 6995
Supernova remnant
Part of the eastern Veil. My Bat Nebula photograph takes a closer look at NGC 6995 and neighbouring IC 1340.
Explore my closer view →
52 Cygni52 Cyg
StarAlso catalogued as HR 7942 · HD 197912 · HIP 102453
The bright foreground star seen against the Western Veil.
Epsilon Cygniε Cyg
StarAlso catalogued as 53 Cyg · HR 7949 · HD 197989 · HIP 102488
Also named Aljanah. A bright star in the surrounding Cygnus field.
NGC 6979
Supernova remnant
A catalogued knot of emission within the Cygnus Loop. This marker uses the NGC catalogue position.
IC 1340
Supernova remnant
A catalogued section of the eastern Veil, beside NGC 6995.
Explore my closer view →
Cygnus LoopSh2-103
Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as SNR G074.0-08.5
The whole supernova remnant. Its circular catalogue outline indicates the overall extent, rather than tracing each filament.
Explore my FRA400 view →
32 Vul
StarAlso catalogued as HR 8008 · HD 199169 · HIP 103200
48 Cyg
StarAlso catalogued as HR 7885 · HD 196606 · HIP 101765
49 Cyg
Double starAlso catalogued as HR 7921 · HD 197177 · HIP 102066
Dolidze 47
Open cluster
LBN 250
HII region
LBN 255
HII region
LBN 284
HII region
Lambda Cygniλ Cyg
StarAlso catalogued as 54 Cyg · HR 7963 · HD 198183 · HIP 102589
Roslund 7
Open cluster
Ru 173
Open cluster
Ru 174
Open cluster
Ru 175
Open cluster
T Vul
Variable starAlso catalogued as HR 7988 · HD 198726 · HIP 102949
Turner 11
Open cluster
X Cyg
Variable starAlso catalogued as HR 7932 · HD 197572 · HIP 102276
About the labels and credits

Positions and outlines are calculated from a plate solution of this photograph. Outlines are catalogue guides and may not follow every visible filament. Additional catalogue objects may be faint or indistinct in this exposure.

Plate solving and annotation data: SkySolver, by Dominik Sito. Stars: Gaia DR3 and Hipparcos (ESA). Deep-sky data: OpenNGC © Mattia Verga (CC BY-SA 4.0), SIMBAD and VizieR (CDS). Names: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and IAU WGSN. Catalogue overlay adaptations, including styling and selected display names, are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph © Lee Pullen.

Close-ups

There’s plenty to explore beyond the overall shape of the Loop. These crops move from the bright filaments to the fainter arcs and diffuse red nebulosity around them. Select an image for a larger view.

The full Cygnus Loop with bright curved filaments and fainter structure within its shell.
Bright curved arc of the Veil Nebula with fine orange and turquoise filaments.
Long turquoise and orange filaments sweeping across a close crop of the Veil Nebula.
Interwoven orange and turquoise strands of the Cygnus Loop against a red star field.
Faint curved filaments along the edge of the Cygnus Loop.
Diffuse red nebulosity and dark gaps in the wider field surrounding the Cygnus Loop.
Broad red emission clouds beyond the bright filaments of the Cygnus Loop.
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Science

The Cygnus Loop is the aftermath of a massive star’s explosion thousands of years ago. Its expanding shock wave encounters gas in the surrounding interstellar medium, producing the features that we see today.

Curved sheets of glowing gas appear especially bright where we view them edge-on. Variations in the surrounding gas encountered by the shock wave give the remnant its uneven, intricate appearance.

Detailed view of a bright curved shock front and branching filaments in the Veil Nebula.

The L-Ultimate isolates light from Hα and OIII. These emissions reveal different structures within the remnant. In the finished image, I choose warm reds and oranges for Hα, and turquoise for OIII. This is an unusual palette, but I think it makes the filaments easier to see. And hopefully looks quite nice!

Contrasting turquoise and orange filaments in a long arc of the Cygnus Loop.

My earlier Bat Nebula and Pickering’s Triangle images explore smaller parts of this same remnant with the Askar 130PHQ. See below to compare these views. The longer focal length brings out fine details, while the SV535 gives those details their wider context.

Fine interlaced filaments and knots of glowing gas within the Cygnus Loop.

Compare the views

These sliders take a closer look, comparing it with my Bat Nebula, Pickering’s Triangle, and FRA400 Cygnus Loop photographs. The SV535 views use high-resolution crops from this widefield project, rotated and scaled to match my earlier photographs. Drag each divider, use the slider, or select an individual view.

The colours, filters, exposure times, and processing differ between projects. These are comparisons of the finished photographs, rather than controlled telescope tests.

The Bat Nebula: SV535 and 130PHQ

The Bat Nebula photographed with the Askar 130PHQ
Svbony SV535 · cropAskar 130PHQ

Pickering’s Triangle: SV535 and 130PHQ

Pickering’s Triangle photographed with the Askar 130PHQ
Svbony SV535 · cropAskar 130PHQ

The Cygnus Loop: SV535 and FRA400

The Cygnus Loop photographed with the Askar FRA400
Svbony SV535 · cropAskar FRA400

Imaging details

Total exposure
16 hours
Dates captured
5 to 9 August 2026
Location and sky
Bristol, UK (Bortle 8)

Equipment and software

Guiding
Svbony SV165 + ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Software
PixInsight, Lightroom
Image by
Lee Pullen

Exposure by filter

Optolong L-Quad Enhance

Channels
RGB stars
Subframes
150 × 60 seconds
Integration
2.5 hours
View subframe and stack
Single 60-second Cygnus Loop widefield exposure through the Optolong L-Quad Enhance filter.
Single subframe60 seconds
Cygnus Loop widefield stack of 150 one-minute exposures through the Optolong L-Quad Enhance filter.
Source image

Optolong L-Ultimate

Channels
Hα / OIII
Subframes
162 × 5 minutes
Integration
13.5 hours
View subframe and stack
Single five-minute Cygnus Loop widefield exposure through the Optolong L-Ultimate filter.
Single subframe5 minutes
Cygnus Loop widefield stack of 162 five-minute exposures through the Optolong L-Ultimate filter.
Source image

Kit list

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Processing

Processing video

Follow my PixInsight walkthrough for the Cygnus Loop widefield, combining Hα/OIII nebulosity with RGB stars.

Watch the processing tutorial on YouTube

Explore more targets

Browse all targets →
The Bat Nebula photographed with the Askar 130PHQThe Bat NebulaAskar 130PHQExplore target →Pickering’s Triangle photographed with the Askar 130PHQPickering’s TriangleAskar 130PHQExplore target →The Cygnus Loop photographed with the Askar FRA400The Cygnus LoopAskar FRA400Explore target →

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