SN 1996cr in Circinus galaxy

This composite image shows the central regions of the nearby Circinus galaxy, located about 12 million light years away. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is shown in blue and data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space telescope is shown in yellow ("I-band"), red (hydrogen emission), cyan ("V-band") and light blue (oxygen emission). The blue source near the lower right hand corner of the image is the supernova SN 1996cr, that has finally been identified over a decade after it exploded. The supernova was first singled out in 2001 as a bright, variable object in a Chandra image, but it was not confirmed as a supernova until years later, when clues from a spectrum obtained with ESO's Very Large Telescope led the team to start the real detective work of searching through data from 18 different telescopes, both ground- and space-based, nearly all of which was in the archives. SN 1996cr is one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years.

Credit:

X-ray (NASA/CXC/Columbia/F.Bauer et al); Visible light (NASA/STScI/UMD/A.Wilson et al.)

About the Image

Id:eso0832a
Type:Observation
Release date:25 September 2008
Related releases:eso0832
Size:2400 x 1999 px

About the Object

Name:Circinus Galaxy
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral
Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Supernova
Distance:13 million light years
Constellation:Circinus
Category:Galaxies
Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEG
1.2 MB
Screensize JPEG
194.4 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
273.4 KB
1280x1024
422.8 KB
1600x1200
604.6 KB
1920x1200
718.6 KB
2048x1536
931.5 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):14 13 9.38
Position (Dec):-65° 20' 22.93"
Field of view:0.72 x 0.60 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 62.2° left of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
OIII
502 nmHubble Space Telescope
ACS
X-rayChandra X-ray Observatory
Optical
V
547 nmHubble Space Telescope
ACS
Infrared
I
814 nmHubble Space Telescope
ACS
Optical
H-alpha
Hubble Space Telescope
ACS