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An X-ray Hot Supernova in M8
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| Title |
An X-ray Hot Supernova in M81 |
| Explanation |
In 1993, a star in the galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950912.html ] M [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#messier ]81 exploded. Above is a picture of the hot material ejected by this supernova [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951122.html ] explosion. The picture was taken in X-rays [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ] with the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/asca/asca2.html ] (ASCA [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/0/docs/asca/ascagof.html ]). Since M81 is a relatively nearby galaxy, it can be examined in close detail by observatories on or near the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950622.html ]. Since the Earth's atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951026.html ] protects the surface from interstellar X-radiation, the above photo [ http://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/lithos/snova/snova.htm ] was taken from space. Studying the nature and distribution of the X-rays has allowed astronomers to determine the composition and temperature of the expanding supernova gas. |
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