About 200,000 years ago, a massive star in a nearby companion galaxy to the Milky Way exploded. Blasting octillions of tons of debris outwards at high velocity, the explosion has been expanding into space ever since. Scientists think the supernova exploded with a shock wave unlike anything seen before in the Milky Way or in many other galaxies around the universe. Instead of blowing space apart, astronomers estimate the blast expanded ordinary stars at speeds of up to 1018 miles (1.6 million kilometers) per second.
Credit: NASA
One of the particles produced by the blast is in the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy, with the bright purple location found in this Hubble picture. The expanding shock wave originates from the massive near-Earth object known as PSR J0743+0933.
Outlook
Orion Project Scientist Susan Thompson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., says, "The shock generated by this supernova is using about 10 percent of the energy from its progenitor star, fuels this stellar explosion air blast, dissipates energy into this glowing cloud of gas and radiation released by the star, and carries that gas with it."
The subsequent shock wave and debris streaming out from the location of the explosion can be seen further out in the universe, stretched out even more sideways than before. The result is a supernova cluster. Scientists spotted this cluster immediately after Hubble's picture took.
Named for the NASA Discovery Channel special "Supernova, Supernova!", the supernova was discovered by Karen Meech in the middle of the night sky in 2003 using a large telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Today 61 Cygni has no light to see. It is whirling around its dark and fluffy center and dispersing stars and gas at an astounding speed of up to 1018 miles (16 million kilometers per second).
Astronomers estimate PSR 4535 is located approximately 15 billion light-years away and is about 28,000 light-years from Earth. It has two significant stellar companions, one even more massive than the Sun.
Credits
All rights reserved to Sky and Telescope magazine
News Media Contact
Alan BuisJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, [email protected] by Carol RasmussenNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-354-0474NASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-0257LOLLIE KELLEYNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-0257Written by Glen Thompson2014-416
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This repo shares my Picnik beauty pages imaalling
Credit: NASA
One of the particles produced by the blast is in the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy, with the bright purple location found in this Hubble picture. The expanding shock wave originates from the massive near-Earth object known as PSR J0743+0933.
Outlook
Orion Project Scientist Susan Thompson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., says, "The shock generated by this supernova is using about 10 percent of the energy from its progenitor star, fuels this stellar explosion air blast, dissipates energy into this glowing cloud of gas and radiation released by the star, and carries that gas with it."
The subsequent shock wave and debris streaming out from the location of the explosion can be seen further out in the universe, stretched out even more sideways than before. The result is a supernova cluster. Scientists spotted this cluster immediately after Hubble's picture took.
Named for the NASA Discovery Channel special "Supernova, Supernova!", the supernova was discovered by Karen Meech in the middle of the night sky in 2003 using a large telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Today 61 Cygni has no light to see. It is whirling around its dark and fluffy center and dispersing stars and gas at an astounding speed of up to 1018 miles (16 million kilometers per second).
Astronomers estimate PSR 4535 is located approximately 15 billion light-years away and is about 28,000 light-years from Earth. It has two significant stellar companions, one even more massive than the Sun.
Credits
All rights reserved to Sky and Telescope magazine
News Media Contact
Alan BuisJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, [email protected] by Carol RasmussenNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-354-0474NASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-0257LOLLIE KELLEYNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-0257Written by Glen Thompson2014-416
Picnik
This repo shares my Picnik beauty pages imaalling
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