Astronomers used the Chandra and Hubble Space Telescopes to create a must-see shot. It shows the cosmic remnant of a supernova, a star that exploded at the end of its life.
That alone would be impressive, but the time factor also plays a role. Because in the photo you do not see the remains of a recent explosion, but rather traces that lie 670 years in the past.
Multiple shots required to make paths visible
As mentioned earlier, scientists were unable to click the shutter button on their space camera and present the result. Because most effects SNR 0519-69.0
As written entirely on the supernova’s identity card, it can only be detected with the help of X-rays and other special lenses.
Therefore, not only the well-known Hubble telescope sight was used, but the Chandra telescope, suspended in space by satellites, was also sentenced to unpaid overtime. The resulting images were digitally superimposed and reformatted, resulting in this shot:
Glimpse into the past: From Earth we see what happened 670 years ago.
What do I see in the picture? Let’s break this down so the individual components are more clear. All the green, blue and purple spots in the image were detected by X-rays from the Chandra telescope, and all the red and white spots are based on optical data by Mr. Hubble.
What is the purpose of this pledge? You might be thinking now: Cool, but why would they even do this?
There is an answer to that, too. By the way, the remnants of such a supernova Type Ia
It is used in a whole series of scientific studies, including the measurement of the distance between galaxies, that is, the most accurate determination of the distance of galaxies that are billions of light years away from us.
How does this happen? The so-called white dwarf is to blame in such landscapes, i.e. a very old and at the same time very compact star that explodes as soon as it reaches critical mass. And since the light from a supernova has to travel a long distance before it gets within the range of our measuring instruments, when we look at the image, these events are usually centuries old. In this case, as mentioned earlier, it is estimated at 670 years!
You can find the image in full resolution as well as more first-hand information On the Harvard University website.
What do you think of that picture? Are you always amazed at what happens in the depths of space, or are you only interested in what happens in blue orbs? Write us your opinion in the comments!
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