                        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.

                                2023 August 6
    A thick transparent ribbon of red gas runs from the lower left to the
     upper right. A dark starfield with stars and galaxies surrounds the
       bright red ribbon. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                   SN 1006: A Supernova Ribbon from Hubble
    Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgement: W.
                             Blair et al. (JHU)

   Explanation: What created this unusual space ribbon? The answer: one of
   the most violent explosions ever witnessed by ancient humans. Back in
   the year 1006 AD, light reached Earth from a stellar explosion in the
   constellation of the Wolf (Lupus), creating a "guest star" in the sky
   that appeared brighter than Venus and lasted for over two years. The
   supernova, now cataloged at SN 1006, occurred about 7,000 light years
   away and has left a large remnant that continues to expand and fade
   today. Pictured here is a small part of that expanding supernova
   remnant dominated by a thin and outwardly moving shock front that heats
   and ionizes surrounding ambient gas. The supernova remnant SN 1006 now
   has a diameter of nearly 60 light years.

                      Tomorrow's picture: pelican stars
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

