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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня IC 443: туманность Медуза http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1915242/eng |
Credit & Copyright: David Payne
Explanation:
Why is this jellyfish swimming in a sea of stars?
Drifting near bright star
Eta Geminorum,
seen at the right, the
Jellyfish Nebula
extends its tentacles from the bright arcing ridge of emission left of center.
In fact, the cosmic
jellyfish
is part of bubble-shaped
supernova remnant IC
443,
the expanding debris cloud from a
massive star that exploded.
Light from the explosion first reached
planet Earth over
30,000 years ago.
Like its cousin in astronomical waters, the
Crab Nebula supernova remnant IC 443 is
known to harbor a
neutron star --
the remnant of the collapsed stellar core.
The Jellyfish Nebula is about 5,000
light-years away.
At that distance, the
featured image would
span about 140 light-years across.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.