Entire galaxy can be put in the shade when a supernova is formed due to a star exploding. For the first time, NASA has been able to produce a video that shows what happens afterward, and the result of what is described as a powerful explosion.
The remnants of the supernova expand, and the shockwaves show as a massive cloud. It also demonstrates how material that has been superheated is ejected from the star post explosion. The specific supernova shown in the video is Tycho’s supernova, and the explosion happened back on 1572. 450 years after the event we can still see the expansion even though we are 10,000 light years away.
READ ALSO: The Light-Emitting That Could Illuminate Roads and Homes At Night
The video has relied heavily upon observations taken between 2000 and 2015 and shows the remnant of the expanded supernova. It is incredibly hot due to the shock waves and as a result, it is only visible in X-ray light. Astronomers had also discovered how quickly the shock wave traveled and when at its fastest, it was moving at 12 million miles an hour.
Knowing the speed is assisting astronomers to work out what prompted the supernova in the first place. It seems most likely that it was as a result of two white dwarf stars joining. The resulting object was too big to be stable, so it erupted, with both stars being destroyed. It is by studying supernovae that astronomers are able to work out the rate at which the universe is growing.
Image credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/GSFC/B. Williams et al; Optical: DSS; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA