The Monoceros Loop is a large, old and faint supernova remnant in Monoceros, lying near the Rosette Nebula on the sky, its shell mapped by faint filaments.
At a glance
| type | supernova remnant |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 5,220 light-years (1.6 kpc) |
| its light left it | 5,220 years ago |
| size in the piece | about 330 light-years acrossmodel |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with. Model marks a property of the piece’s galaxy model rather than a measurement.
About Monoceros Loop
The Monoceros Loop is an old supernova remnant covering a wide area of sky in the constellation Monoceros, outlined by faint filaments of glowing gas in visible light and by a shell in radio. Its blast has slowed and spread, and much of its energy has been radiated away.
On the sky it lies next to the Rosette Nebula, a bright star-forming region, and the two appear to be at broadly similar distances. Whether the remnant’s shock is actually touching the Rosette’s cloud is debated.
What you see in the piece
It is drawn as one of the widest hollow shells in the piece, very faint in visible light, its outline clearest in the radio band.
Measured or modelled
Its distance, age and relation to the Rosette Nebula are uncertain. The drawn extent is modelled from its size on the sky and the assumed distance.
Questions
Is the Monoceros Loop connected to the Rosette Nebula?
They lie side by side on the sky and possibly at similar distances, but whether the remnant is physically touching the Rosette is debated.
How far away is the Monoceros Loop?
The Monoceros Loop is about 5,220 light-years (1.6 kpc) from the Sun.