Giant cosmic networks

Sometimes dramatic events are needed to create something stunning. This beautiful structure of filaments and clouds in the southern constellation of Vela are all that remains of a massive star that died in a powerful explosion known as supernova. This is a small section of a larger image taken using the wide-field camera OmegaCAM at the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). Hosted at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Chilean desert, the VST is one of the best telescopes in the world to take large images of the sky in visible light.

Even though bright stars populate this image, it's hard to not be captivated by the pink gaseous clouds filling up the frame. Some tiny, others thicker, the filaments stretch outwards like tentacles. As they intertwine and cling together, an intricate network is formed which mixes with blurred clouds. But how did they come to be like this?

Around 11 000 years ago, a massive star exploded as a supernova, ejecting its outer layers. The explosion also generated shock waves which traveled outwards, compressing the gas around the star and creating the intricate network visible in the image. The result of such explosions are called supernova remnants. At 800 light years away from Earth, the Vela supernova remnant is one of the closest known to us.

Credit:

ESO/VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

Over de afbeelding

Id:potw2322a
Type:Observatie
Publicatiedatum:29 mei 2023 06:00
Grootte:6697 x 6698 px

Over het object

Naam:Vela Supernova Remnant
Type:Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Supernova Remnant
Afstand:800 lichtjaren
Constellation:Vela
Categorie:Nebulae

Image Formats

Grote JPEG
12,9 MB

Inzoomen


Wallpapers

1024x768
361,2 KB
1280x1024
546,7 KB
1600x1200
733,7 KB
1920x1200
825,9 KB
2048x1536
1,1 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):8 33 49.52
Position (Dec):-43° 39' 4.37"
Field of view:24.62 x 24.63 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.4° left of vertical

Kleuren & filters

BandGolflengteTelescoop
Optisch
u
350 nmVLT Survey Telescope
OmegaCAM
Optisch
g
480 nmVLT Survey Telescope
OmegaCAM
Optisch
r
625 nmVLT Survey Telescope
OmegaCAM
Optisch
H-alpha
659 nmVLT Survey Telescope
OmegaCAM
Optisch
i
770 nmVLT Survey Telescope
OmegaCAM