NASA/ESA/J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)
The Crab Nebula (M1) lies some 6,500 light-years away from Earth. Chinese observers first recorded the “new star” in A.D. 1054, and since then astronomers have worked to understand this object. At the Crab’s center lies a rapidly spinning compact neutron star called a pulsar. Radiation from this remnant causes the nebula to glow.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team
Puppis A is the remnant of a massive star’s death, which humans viewed some 3,700 years ago. This object is about 6,500 light-years distant and spans about 100 light-years.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State/S.Park, et al.; Optical: Pal. Obs. DSS
Supernova remnant G292.0+1.8 lies about 20,000 light-years away, toward the southern constellation Centaurus. Astronomers estimate that the nebula is several thousands of years old, and its center holds the remnant pulsar left over after a massive star exploded.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO & ESA; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/B. Williams (NCSU)
RCW 86 is the oldest recorded supernova known. This image combines X-ray data (in blue and green) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton telescope with infrared observations (in yellow and red) from Spitzer and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Chinese observers saw the supernova blast in A.D. 185; the remnant now spans about 85 light-years and appears roughly the width of the Full Moon on the sky.
ESO/E. Helder & NASA/Chandra
Details of a portion of the RCW 86 remnant appear in this visible-light and X-ray composite image from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State/S. Park, et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/UIUC/Y. H. Chu & R. Williams, et al.
N49 is a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of the Milky Way Galaxy. This supernova remnant is one of the brightest such objects in optical radiation. This image combines optical data (shown in yellow) from the Hubble Space Telescope and X-ray observations (blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Astronomers say the explosion that spewed the original star’s debris was lopsided, which is why the supernova remnant is asymmetrical.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/D. Dewey, et al. & NASA/CXC/SAO/J. DePasquale; Optical: NASA/STScI
The Small Magellanic Cloud hosts 1E 0102.2-7219, the remnant of a supernova whose light reached Earth about 2,000 years ago. Astronomers think this remnant is shaped like a cylinder and they’re observing it edge-on. This image combines optical radiation (shown in red, green, and blue) from the Hubble Space Telescope and X-ray data (blue, cyan, and orange) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
NASA/ESA/P. Challis and R. Kirshner (CfA)
In February 1987, the light from the nearest supernova in some 400 years reached Earth. Astronomers are watching the debris spewed from SN 1987A change to learn about supernovae and their remnants. This explosion occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 light-years from our planet.
The Veil Nebula also takes the name “Cygnus Loop.” This supernova remnant lies about 1,500 light-years away and covers an area on the sky of more than three Full Moons. This ultraviolet view (from the GALaxy Evolution Explorer) shows filaments of gas and dust that glow as a result of the supernova’s shock wave, which slammed into them thousands of years ago.
NASA/ESA/HEIC/The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
When a star some 50 times the Sun’s mass exploded at the end of its life, it left behind the debris that is now known as N63A. Astronomers think the explosion occurred within a windblown bubble the star had created before its death. This supernova remnant lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
