The aftermath of a massive star's death in Vela
A so-called Supernova Remnant (SNR) in the Vela constellation, captured by ESO's 1 m Schmidt Telescope at La Silla in Chile. The glowing gas ribbons seen here are part of a shock wave launched into the interstellar medium by a large star that exploded about 11,000 years ago. A "ghost" of the once-large star remains: an ultra-dense neutron star that spins more than 10 times a second, called a pulsar, is located in the central region of this SNR.
Credit:
About the Image
| Id: | vela-snr-schmidtourcomp |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 3 December 2009, 23:19 |
| Size: | 5600 x 6547 px |
About the Object
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 8 31 27.13 |
| Position (Dec): | -43° 53' 37.92" |
| Field of view: | 138.23 x 161.61 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 3.4° right of vertical |
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