                        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.

                                2024 April 16
    Complex filaments of many colors cross the image in front of a starry
   background. Some regions have a diffuse red or orange glow. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                   Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
    Image Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector
        (U. Alaska Anchorage), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (’s NOIRLab)

   Explanation: The explosion is over, but the consequences continue.
   About eleven thousand years ago, a star in the constellation of Vela
   could be seen to explode, creating a strange point of light briefly
   visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history. The
   outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar medium, driving
   a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured image captures
   some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light. As gas
   flies away from the detonated star, it decays and reacts with the
   interstellar medium, producing light in many different colors and
   energy bands. Remaining at the center of the Vela Supernova Remnant is
   a pulsar, a star as dense as nuclear matter that spins around more than
   ten times in a single second.

      Monday's Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's
                         picture: two eclipse comets
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

