Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler
Explanation:
The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through this
complex
and beautiful skyscape.
At the northwestern edge of the constellation
Vela
(the Sails) the 16 degree wide, 30 frame mosaic is centered on the
glowing filaments of the
Vela
Supernova Remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the
death explosion of a massive star.
Light from the supernova explosion
that created the Vela remnant
reached Earth about 11,000 years ago.
In addition to the shocked filaments of glowing gas, the cosmic
catastrophe also left behind an incredibly dense,
rotating stellar core, the Vela Pulsar.
Some 800 light-years distant, the Vela remnant is likely
embedded
in a larger and older supernova remnant, the
Gum Nebula.
The broad mosaic includes
other
identified emission and reflection nebulae, star clusters,
and the remarkable
Pencil
Nebula.
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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: Vela - vela pulsar - supernova remnant
Publications with words: Vela - vela pulsar - 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