Astronomy Picture of the Day 3-31-02

NASA ^ | 3-31-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 March 31

The Mysterious Rings of Supernova 1987A
Credit: (ESA/ STScI), HST, NASA

Explanation: What's causing those odd rings in supernova 1987A? In 1987, the brightest supernova in recent history occurred in the Large Magellanic Clouds. At the center of the picture is an object central to the remains of the violent stellar explosion. When the Hubble Space Telescope was pointed at the supernova remnant in 1994, however, the existence of curious rings was confirmed. The origins of these rings still remains a mystery. Speculation into the cause of the rings includes beamed jets emanating from a dense star left over from the supernova, and a superposition of two stellar winds ionized by the supernova explosion.

[petuniasevan]

Think of two transparent cones, with the bases placed together (bright ring around the star) and open ends facing out away from each other (large faint rings).

Wouldn't a supernova in THIS galaxy be a treat? (At a safe distance, of course!)

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[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[dansangel]

Have a glorious Easter Sunday....

[farmfriend]

Thanks.

[RightWhale]

What's causing those odd rings in supernova 1987A

It's some kind of shockwave. Our own sun is in the middle of a large region that has been cleared of dust and gas by at least one supernova. Supernova 1987A seems to be in the process of clearing out its own neighborhood.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

This is so nice. What a treat especially when I was getting all tense in the amnesty threads (just reading it).