One of the closest supernova remnants in the sky is the Gum Nebula. It appears as a giant bubble of gas across the rich starfields of the Milky Way. The objects in the image are below the horizon for most northern hemisphere observers. (Probably visible from the Florida Keys and Hawaii) Even from the most transparent night sky locations it is difficult if not impossible to see any portion of the Gum nebula with the naked eye. However, modern films and digital processing techniques can record much of its extensive sky coverage. This image covers an area of sky through the constellation's Canis Major (top), Puppis & Vela (center), and Carina (bottom). Angular size of the nebula is 75 x 40 degrees. Its distance is roughly 1400 light years from the Earth, with the nearest edge of the nebula only 450 light years away. It was discovered in 1952 by Australian astronomer Colin Gum.

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Last updated: 04/22/00