Supernovas are unbelievably violent explosions caused by the dramatic collapse of stars. But the event only lasts for a short period of time - only a couple of weeks in some cases, making it difficult to observe.
Here are some of the most astounding photos we've found that will show in more detail why some scientists call supernova event's 'galactic chaos'.
1) Tycho's Supernova Remnant
Below is a multi-wavelength photo of 'Tycho's Supernova Remnant' - named after the famous astronomer who discovered the supernova first, 400 years ago, Tycho Brahe. The blue-red edge of the remnant is caused by the massive shockwave from the supernova.
2) Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
Cassiopeia A supernova'd about 330 years ago, creating a brilliant shockwave spreading outward. This 3d visualization was created via X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared wavelengths.
3) Supernova 1987A
The light from this supernova first reached Earth on February 23rd, 1987. It was so bright that it could actually be seen with the naked eye from Earth's surface. For the past 20+ years, Earth- and Space-based telescopes have been tracking the changes to this supernova remnant. This first image shows the inner primary ring as well as the two outer rings from the supernova.
This is an artists impression of the rings around SN 1987, clearly showing the immediate shockwave as well as the 2 outward shock wave rings.
4) Spaghetti Nebula (Simeis 147)
Located between the Auriga and Taurus constellations, this supernova created a really unique remnant after the major explosion. The filaments of material that were left behind in the supernova remnant emit a strong radio signal, and produce a beautiful wispy visual.
5) V838 Monocerotis
For several weeks in 2002, this giant star exploded in brightness. The supernova was immediately reflected off of the nearby dust and gas clouds, creating this beautiful visual that was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
You can watch the animation of the light reflections and supernova shockwave / expansion here:
6) Artist Representation - Chi Cygni
Chi Cygni is a massive star with a strange characteristic: It's brightness changes dramatically over time - roughly every 1 year it changes brightness magnitude by 100 times! Below are 2 artists representations - the top is a visual of what the star looks like today, and the bottom is a visual of what it will look like when it eventually supernovas.
7) Milky Way Supernova Remnent
NASA's Chandra X-Ray telescope observed this purple-colored supernova remnant in our own Milky Way galaxy.
8) Artists Representation - Supernova
This brilliant visual shows the outer shock wave expanding quickly from the central star.
9) Crab Nebula
While it still looks very pretty, this famous 'nebula' is actually a supernova remnant!
10) Artist Representation - Eta Carinae
This star is one of the closest stars to Earth, and is hugely unstable. it will likely explode into a supernova in the near future (less than 1 million years... it's galactic time!). This image shows an artists representation of what this explosion might look like.
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