7 Epic Photos Of Exploding Stars That Will Reaffirm Your Awe Of The Universe

June 15, 2015

#expanse

By August West

The universe will never cease to amaze, and these stellar supernovae shots from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center serve to prove that fact.

They're all from flickr, so the resolution is awesome. It's amazing to me, as I'm culling through the wealth of supernovae imagery available online, that anyone with a computer could ever say they were bored. Practically all of us have a computer in our pockets with access to more information than was contained in the libraries of the world's wealthiest men just twenty years ago — and I'd be willing to bet none of them had access to imagery like this. It's no excuse for not getting out and enjoying the world around us, but on a rainy day, it's certainly a solid backup plan!

1.)
Name: E0102-72.3
Distance from Earth: ~190,000 light years
Details: E0102 is located in one of the nearest galaxies to our own — the Small Magellanic Cloud. It was first observed shortly after Chandra's launch in 2009, but the explosion itself was likely visible in the Earth's Southern Hemisphere about 1,000 years ago when it took place.

Chandra X-ray Observatory: 10 Beautiful Years! (NASA, Chandra, 7/23/09)

2.)
Name: SN1572 (Tycho's Supernova Remnant)
Distance from Earth: ~13,000 light years
Details: Tycho Brahe, the famed Danish astronomer, discovered this Milky Way supernova back in 1572. At about 55 light years across, this remnant was at one point so bright that it could be seen by the unaided human eye in daytime.

Tycho Supernova Remnant (NASA, Chandra, 03/24/11)

3.)
Name: SN 1054 (Crab Nebula)
Distance from Earth: ~6,500 light years
Details: In year 1054, Chinese astronomers noted a bright supernova in their logs. It was visible for a period of two years, and for a time, was the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. Nearly 700 years later, the Crab Nebula was observed by John Bevis, an astronomer from England, but it wasn't until 1928 that Edwin Hubble thought to associate the cloud below to the star of 1054.

Crab Nebula: Energy for 100,000 Suns (NASA, Chandra, 11/23/09)

4.)
Name: Cassiopeia A (Cas A)
Distance from Earth: ~11,000 light years
Details: Cas A exploded about 330 years ago, and the remnants today are spectacular. This image has a neutron star hiding in its center, created by the supernova. It's currently undergoing an unexpected rapid cooling phase — the neutron star's temperature has decreased by 4% in just ten years.

Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A (NASA, Chandra, Hubble, 02/23/11)

5.)
Name: G292.0+1.8
Distance from Earth: ~20,000 light years
Details: G292.0+1.8 is a "textbook" example of a supernova remnant, but that doesn't make it any less stunning. The long white line running across the remnant from side-to-side is a feature referred to as the equatorial belt. It's thought to have been born before the star's death, as it spit out debris around its equator.

Supernova Remnant G292.0+1.8 (NASA, Chandra, 07/22/14)

6.)
Name: N132D
Distance from Earth: ~160,000 light years
Details: This supernova remnant is the brightest of all supernovae in the Magellanic clouds. It's particularly special as it contains a wealth of oxygen. According to NASA, we owe most of the oxygen that we breathe to explosions like the one below.

An Oxygen Factory in a Nearby Galaxy (NASA, Chandra, 3/17/08)

7.)
Name: Eta Carinae
Distance from Earth: ~7,500 light years
Details: With a size about 100 to 150 times more massive than out own sun, this unstable star is consuming its fuel at an unbelievable rate. It's doomed to explode at any time. The colors below represent information — the orange and yellow is data coming from Chandra, and it shows flung material clashing with nearby debris. The blue represents data from Hubble, showing a "cool optical emission ... from the dust and gas thrown off the star."

Chandra and Hubble Observe a Doomed Star (NASA, Chandra, 06/20/07)

When you're through looking at the photos, let us know what you thought in the comments below, and be sure to share them with your friends on Facebook!

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§ NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center via Flickr