Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cygnus (Cyg)
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NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle, Glenn Diekmann
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NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle

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NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle, Glenn Diekmann
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NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle

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Description

Pickering's Triangle, also known by the designation NGC 6974, is part of a large supernova remnant in Cygnus. The larger structure, variously called the Veil Nebula or the Cygnus loop, spans about six full moons and was discovered visually by William Herschel on September 5, 1784. The first photograph of the triangle was taken by Williamina Fleming, a Scottish astronomer working with Edward Charles Pickering in the United States, in 1904. However, credit for the discovery went to Pickering, who was the director of the observatory. 

Recent measurements suggest the distance of the nebula is about 2400 light-years. The supernova is thought to have been caused by a star 20 times more massive than the sun that exploded 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.

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  • NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle, Glenn Diekmann
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    NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle, Glenn Diekmann
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NGC 6974: Pickering's (and Fleming's!) Triangle, Glenn Diekmann