Download The Jaw-Dropping New 554-Million-Pixel Image Of A Ghostly Supernova Just 800 Light-Years From Us
This image shows a spectacular view of the orange and pink clouds that make up what remains after … [+]
A new mega-image showing the leftovers of one of the closest supernova explosions to Earth has been made available to download.
Showing incredible detail and color in the Vela supernova remnant—the leftovers of a star that violently exploded 11,000 years ago—the image consists of 554 million pixels.
It comes from the VLT Survey Telescope in Chile.
It’s run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which had made it possible to download a whopping 1.1GB version of the image alongside many smaller versions. There’s also a superb zoomable version online to explore without downloading.
At 800 light-years away the Vela supernova remnant is one of the closet to the solar system. It’s in the southern constellation of Vela “the sails.”
The image is about the same size in the night sky as nine full moons.
Dive into the details of the Vela supernova remnant with these 12 highlights, each showing a … [+]
When stars about eight times the mass of our Sun exhaust their fuel they collapse and blow apart in supernova explosions, eventually becoming either a neutron star or a black hole. The explosions send shock waves through the surrounding gas, compressing it and creating intricate spider’s web featuring hot, bright gaseous tendrils.
To take this image the telescope’s 268-million-pixel camera took images through separate magenta, blue, green and red filters that let through light of different colours.
The VLET Survey Telescope’s 2.6-metre mirror makes it one of the largest telescopes dedicated to surveying the night sky in visible light.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
