APOD: 2013 May 15 - Kepler's Supernova Remnant in X-Rays (original) (raw)

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.

2013 May 15

Kepler's Supernova Remnant in X-Rays
Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/NCSU/M. Burkey et al. Optical: DSS

Explanation: What caused this mess? Some type of star exploded to create the unusually shaped nebula known as Kepler's supernova remnant, but which type? Light from the stellar explosionthat created this energized cosmic cloud was first seen on planet Earth in October 1604, a merefour hundred years ago. The supernova produced a bright new star in early 17th century skies within the constellation Ophiuchus. It was studied by astronomerJohannes Keplerand his contemporaries, without the benefit of a telescope, as they searched for an explanationof the heavenly apparition. Armed with a modern understanding of stellar evolution, early 21st century astronomers continue to explore the expanding debris cloud, but can now use orbiting space telescopes to survey Kepler's supernova remnant (SNR)across the spectrum. Recent X-ray data and imagesof Kepler's supernova remnant taken by the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory has shown relative elemental abundances typical of a Type Ia supernova, and further indicated that the progenitor was a white dwarf star that exploded when it accreted too much material from a companion Red Giant star and went over Chandrasekhar's limit. About 13,000 light years away, Kepler's supernovarepresents the most recent stellar explosion seen to occur withinour Milky Way galaxy.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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