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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Vela Supernova Remnant
NASA ^ | 2 Jun, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: José Mtanous

Posted on 06/02/2026 11:31:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: The explosion is over, but the consequences continue. About twelve thousand years ago, a relatively normal star in the constellation Vela suddenly exploded, creating a strange point of light briefly visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history. The outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar medium, driving a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured image, taken piecemeal over 60 hours from the Khomas Region of Namibia, captures some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light, with details highlighted by hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) emissions. As gas flies away from the detonated star, it decays and reacts with the interstellar medium, producing light in many different colors and energy bands. Remaining at the center of the Vela Supernova Remnant is a pulsar, a star as dense as nuclear matter that spins around more than ten times in a single second.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 06/02/2026 11:31:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 06/02/2026 11:31:47 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 06/02/2026 11:32:33 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

If you tilt your head to the right, it looks like a skull with an eyeball hanging out!.................


4 posted on 06/02/2026 11:36:01 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: MtnClimber

It would be fascinating if we could see a time lapse video from the very beginning of the supernova to now, just to watch the progress of the shock waves and how they change the space around them.


5 posted on 06/02/2026 12:28:32 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: telescope115

Once we have warp drive then we can sail towards the area and see the changes happening in reverse.


6 posted on 06/02/2026 4:52:38 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Making money now. Still want much more.)
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