Simeis 147: Supernova
Remnant
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
It's easy to get lost
following the intricate filaments in this detailed mosaic image of faint supernova remnant Simeis 147 (S147).
Also cataloged as
Sh2-240, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 6 full moons on the sky. That's about
150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's estimated distance of 3,000
light-years.
Anchoring the frame at
the right, bright star Elnath (Beta
Tauri) is seen towards the boundary of the constellations Taurus and Auriga, almost exactly opposite the galactic center in
planet Earth's sky.
This sharp composite
includes image data taken through a narrow-band filter to highlight emission
from hydrogen atoms tracing the shocked, glowing gas.
The supernova remnant
has an estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from the massive
stellar explosion first reached Earth 40,000 years ago.
But the expanding
remnant is not the only aftermath. The cosmic catastrophe also left behind a spinning neutron star or pulsar, all that remains of the original star's core.
