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Credit & Copyright: ESA/Hubble,
NASA
Explanation:
What's causing those odd rings in
supernova 1987A?
Thirty years ago, in 1987, the brightest supernova
in recent history was seen in the
Large Magellanic Cloud.
At the center of the
featured picture is an object central to the
remains of the violent stellar explosion.
Surrounding the center are
curious outer rings appearing as a
flattened figure 8.
Although large telescopes including the
Hubble Space Telescope monitor the curious rings every few years, their origin
remains a mystery.
Pictured here is a Hubble image of the
SN1987A remnant taken in 2011.
Speculation into the cause of the rings
includes beamed
jets emanating from an otherwise hidden
neutron star left over from the supernova, and the interaction
of the
wind from the progenitor
star with gas released before the explosion.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: supernova - rings - supernova remnant
Publications with words: supernova - rings - supernova remnant
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 18 Á The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 April 16 Á Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 April 3 Á Unusual Nebula Pa 30
- APOD: 2024 March 25 Á Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 February 27 Á Supernova Remnant Simeis 147
- The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
- APOD: 2023 December 26 Á IC 443: The Jellyfish Nebula