Question
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Space & Astronomy
Hubble Snaps Ghostly Ribbon of Light
* 00:00 02 July 2008
* NewScientist.com news service
* Rachel Courtland
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a close-up of the expanding remnants of a supernova observed in 1006 CE. (1006 A.D.).
Medieval skywatchers got to see a star explode, but modern-day astronomy buffs get all the pretty pictures of its ghostly remains.
Hubble has captured a close-up of the remnant of a supernova that exploded in the Milky Way over 8000 years ago, and whose light reached Earth on 1 May 1006. The explosion is one of the brightest in recorded history and was visible with the naked eye.
The delicate-looking remnant is actually part of a shock wave from the stellar explosion. The roiling remains are still expanding, moving at a clip of about 10 million kilometres per hour.
Hubble's image is mostly a composite made from the visible light emitted by hydrogen atoms in the remnant.
Bright parts of the twisting ribbon are places where the shock wave from the explosion lies edge-on with our line of sight.
The remains of the supernova are faint in visible light, but astronomers have produced stunning images in the X-ray part of the spectrum.
Gallery of Pictures
* 00:00 02 July 2008
* NewScientist.com news service
* Rachel Courtland
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a close-up of the expanding remnants of a supernova observed in 1006 CE. (1006 A.D.).
Medieval skywatchers got to see a star explode, but modern-day astronomy buffs get all the pretty pictures of its ghostly remains.
Hubble has captured a close-up of the remnant of a supernova that exploded in the Milky Way over 8000 years ago, and whose light reached Earth on 1 May 1006. The explosion is one of the brightest in recorded history and was visible with the naked eye.
The delicate-looking remnant is actually part of a shock wave from the stellar explosion. The roiling remains are still expanding, moving at a clip of about 10 million kilometres per hour.
Hubble's image is mostly a composite made from the visible light emitted by hydrogen atoms in the remnant.
Bright parts of the twisting ribbon are places where the shock wave from the explosion lies edge-on with our line of sight.
The remains of the supernova are faint in visible light, but astronomers have produced stunning images in the X-ray part of the spectrum.
Gallery of Pictures
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lol I most definately agree.. I cannot tell you how much I dreamed about studying space when I was older...it all seems so fascinating to me.
(and yes I believe in God, I'm a catholic, and even if I wasnt, what you were to say would not be preaching lol) =)
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I think it's all going to boil down to something in the end. I mean why try to look for all of the answers though right? I mean somethings it would be great to know, but you are supposed to embrace these natural things and live with the wonder of never knowing.
Answered This is so awesome. The universe is so mysterious.
Makes me wish my telescope was more than a 5" objective. :)