Friday, March 30, 2012

An Ultraviolet, Ultraviolent Supernova Shockwave

An Ultraviolet, Ultraviolent Supernova Shockwave:
The Cygnus Loop in Ultraviolet. Captured by Galex. Image credit: NASA
The Cygnus Loop in Ultraviolet. Captured by Galex. Image credit: NASA

You’re looking at an insanely beautiful image of the Cygnus Loop nebula captured by NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission. Furthermore, this isn’t viewed in plain old visible light, this is high-energy ultraviolet light, revealing regions of hot gas remaining after a supernova detonated here 5,000 to 8,000 years ago.
In fact, the original supernova would have been bright enough to be visible with the unaided eye.


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