Artist’s impression of two white dwarf stars merging and creating a Type Ia supernova

This artist’s impression video shows the central part of the planetary nebula Henize 2-428. The core of this unique object consists of two white dwarf stars, each with a mass a little less than that of the Sun. They are expected to slowly draw closer to each other and merge in around 700 million years. This event will create a dazzling supernova of Type Ia and destroy both stars.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada

About the Video

Id:eso1505a
Release date:9 February 2015, 17:00
Related releases:eso1505
Duration:35 s
Frame rate:30 fps

About the Object


Ultra HD (info)


HD


Large

Large QT
7.8 MB

Medium

Video Podcast
6.1 MB
Medium MPEG-1
16.3 MB
Medium Flash
7.7 MB

For Broadcasters