All's not as it appears, this tale has many twists -
but if I wasn't here documenting the story
would that mean that the plot did not exist?

— Peter Hammill

Supernova remanent in Cygnus

Central section of the veil nebula. One hour exposure.
The Veil  is a supernova remanent. It exploded some fifty thousand years ago. The filaments are a shock wave that is expanding in a dusty region, clearing it as it goes. Notice that many faint stars are visible at the bottom where the dust has been cleared than at the top.

Supernova remanent in Cygnus