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A Supernova's Shockwaves
| Title |
A Supernova's Shockwaves |
| Description |
Supernovae are the explosive deaths of the universe's most massive stars. In death, these volatile creatures blast tons of energetic waves into the cosmos, destroying much of the dust surrounding them. This false-color composite from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the remnant of one such explosion. The remnant, called N132D, is the wispy pink shell of gas at the center of this image. The pinkish color reveals a clash between the explosion's high-energy shockwaves and surrounding dust grains. In the background, small organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are shown as tints of green. The blue spots represent stars in our galaxy along this line of sight. N132D is located 163,000 light-years away in a neighboring galaxy called, the Large Magellanic Cloud. In this image, infrared light at 4.5 microns is mapped to blue, 8.0 microns to green and 24 microns to red. Broadband X-ray light is mapped purple. The infrared data were taken by Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS), while the X-ray data were captured by Chandra. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
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| Title |
Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
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| Title |
Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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Luminous Blue Variable: Dest
…
| Title |
Luminous Blue Variable: Destined To Be a Supernova? |
| Description |
A Luminous Blue Variable star (inset) in our galaxy, named HD168625, surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova that exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and was the nearest supernova in about 400 years. The diagram explains the bipolar nebula around HD168625, which has a geometry that makes it a near twin of the famous nebula around SN1987A. Rings near the equator are sometimes seen around stars that shed mass from their surfaces, but the larger rings above the poles are very rare. Tipped toward Earth and illuminated by the star, the rings look like ellipses in images taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth. |
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N49B: Supernova Remnant Reve
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| Name |
N49B: Supernova Remnant Reveals Magnesium in Abundance |
| Category |
Supernovas and Supernova Remnants |
| Release Date |
March 24, 2004 |
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NASA Space Observatories Gli
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| Title |
NASA Space Observatories Glimpse Faint Afterglow of Nearby Stellar Explosion |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Supernova Shock Wave Is Prod
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| Title |
Supernova Shock Wave Is Producing a Spectacular New Light Show |
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Hubble Studies Generations o
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| Title |
Hubble Studies Generations of Star Formation in Neighboring Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Studies Generations o
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| Title |
Hubble Studies Generations of Star Formation in Neighboring Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Studies Generations o
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| Title |
Hubble Studies Generations of Star Formation in Neighboring Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Peers Inside a Celest
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| Title |
Hubble Peers Inside a Celestial Geode |
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Astronomers Measure Mass of
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| Title |
Astronomers Measure Mass of a Single Star ? First Since the Sun |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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NASA's Hubble Telescope Cele
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Telescope Celebrates SN 1987A's 20th Anniversary |
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The Tarantula Nebula
| Title |
The Tarantula Nebula |
| Description |
NASA's new Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, has captured in stunning detail the spidery filaments and newborn stars of the Tarantula Nebula, a rich star-forming region also known as 30 Doradus. This cloud of glowing dust and gas is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the nearest galaxy to our own Milky Way, and is visible primarily from the Southern Hemisphere. This image of an interstellar cauldron provides a snapshot of the complex physical processes and chemistry that govern the birth - and death - of stars. At the heart of the nebula is a compact cluster of stars, known as R136, which contains very massive and young stars. The brightest of these blue supergiant stars are up to 100 times more massive than the Sun, and are at least 100,000 times more luminous. These stars will live fast and die young, at least by astronomical standards, exhausting their nuclear fuel in a few million years. The Spitzer Space Telescope image was obtained with an infrared array camera that is sensitive to invisible infrared light at wavelengths that are about ten times longer than visible light. In this four-color composite, emission at 3.6 microns is depicted in blue, 4.5 microns in green, 5.8 microns in orange, and 8.0 microns in red. The image covers a region that is three-quarters the size of the full moon. The Spitzer observations penetrate the dust clouds throughout the Tarantula to reveal previously hidden sites of star formation. Within the luminescent nebula, many holes are also apparent. These voids are produced by highly energetic winds originating from the massive stars in the central star cluster. The structures at the edges of these voids are particularly interesting. Dense pillars of gas and dust, sculpted by the stellar radiation, denote the birthplace of future generations of stars. The Spitzer image provides information about the composition of the material at the edges of the voids. The surface layers closest to the massive stars are subject to the most intense stellar radiation. Here, the atoms are stripped of their electrons, and the green color of these regions is indicative of the radiation from this highly excited, or 'ionized,' material. The ubiquitous red filaments seen throughout the image reveal the presence of molecular material thought to be rich in hydrocarbons. The Tarantula Nebula is the nearest example of a 'starburst' phenomenon, in which intense episodes of star formation occur on massive scales. Most starbursts, however, are associated with dusty and distant galaxies. Spitzer infrared observations of the Tarantula provide astronomers with an unprecedented view of the lifecycle of massive stars and their vital role in regulating the birth of future stellar and planetary systems. |
| Date |
01.13.2004 |
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