This weekend, NASA's rocket is poised to delve into a celestial drama unfolding 2,600 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation. There's no better way to grasp the mesmerizing spectacle of stars' life cycles than witnessing it firsthand.

Highlights:

• Cosmic realm, a colossal star, potentially 20 times the mass of our sun, burst into a dazzling supernova, a celestial fireworks show visible to Earthlings even in broad daylight.
• The debris cloud, which was roughly three times the size of a full moon back in 2012, has since expanded to an astonishing 120 light-years in diameter.
•  This astronomical spectacle transpired eons ago, approximately 20,000 years in the past, the star's remnants are still racing outward at a staggering pace of 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) per hour.

 In this cosmic realm, a colossal star, potentially 20 times the mass of our sun, burst into a dazzling supernova, a celestial fireworks show visible to Earthlings even in broad daylight.

Although this astronomical spectacle transpired eons ago, approximately 20,000 years in the past, the star's remnants are still racing outward at a staggering pace of 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) per hour. The debris cloud, which was roughly three times the size of a full moon back in 2012, has since expanded to an astonishing 120 light-years in diameter.

The celestial artifact, known to astronomers as the Cygnus Loop, is a remarkable discovery, presenting an ongoing cosmic spectacle. It offers a real-time glimpse into the recycling process of heavy elements that originated within the heart of the late star, now being dispersed back into the cosmos. These elements will play a role in the formation of future stars and galaxies across countless ages.

Brian Fleming, leading the mission and representing the University of Colorado Boulder, elucidates, "Supernovae like the one that created the Cygnus Loop have a profound impact on the way galaxies take shape."

This Sunday, Fleming and his dedicated team are orchestrating an observation of the Cygnus Loop. They will launch an instrument atop a compact sounding rocket into suborbital space, embarking from New Mexico at 11:35 p.m. ET (0335 GMT on Oct. 30). This mission, named INFUSE, which stands for "Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment," aims to capture critical data about the remnant from an altitude of 150 miles (240 km), lasting for just a few minutes.

The instrument's mission is to collect far-ultraviolet wavelengths emitted by the Cygnus Loop. This luminous display reveals the scorching dust and gas within the remnant, with temperatures ranging from 90,000 to 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit (about 50,000 to 300,000 degrees Celsius), colliding with the frigid expanse of space.

Fleming describes the mission's objective, stating, "INFUSE will observe how the supernova disseminates energy into the Milky Way, capturing light emissions as the blast wave encounters pockets of cold gas scattered throughout the galaxy."

The information gathered by astronomers will shed light on the precise location of specific elements within the remnant, ultimately enhancing our comprehension of the life cycles of stars and galaxies.