超新星遗迹中的美人鱼星云

The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Neil Corke; Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)

Explanation: New stars are born from the remnants of dead stars. The gaseous remnant of the gravitational collapse and subsequent death of a very massive star in our Milky Way created the G296.5+10.0 supernova remnant, of which the featured Mermaid Nebula is part. Also known as the Betta Fish Nebula, the Mermaid Nebula makes up part of an unusual subclass of supernova remnants that are two-sided and nearly circular. Originally discovered in X-rays, the filamentary nebula is a frequently studied source also in radio and gamma-ray light. The blue color visible here originates from doubly ionized oxygen (OIII), while the deep red is emitted by hydrogen gas. The nebula’s mermaid-like shape has proven to be useful for measurements of the interstellar magnetic field.

Growing Gallery: Last night’s supermoon eclipse

Tomorrow’s picture: open space

超新星遗迹中的美人鱼星云
影像提供与版权: Neil Corke; 文稿提供: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)

说明: 某些新恒星是从死亡恒星的残余物中诞生的。银河系中一颗质量很大的恒星，随着引力塌缩后，紧接的超新星爆炸，向外散播出的气体残渣，创造了G296.5+10.0 超新星遗迹，而美人鱼星云就是其中的一部分。美人鱼星云也被称为斗鱼星云，属于一个不寻常的超新星遗迹子类，该子类的遗迹分布是呈现在死亡恒星的两侧且形状接近圆弧。星云中的丝状结构是在X射线观测中发现的，现在也经常是电波和伽马射线观测的研究对象。在这张多波段的合成影像中，蓝色部份由被游离掉二个电子的氧离子（OIII）所发出的，而深红色的部分则由氢气所出发出。经过实证，该星云的美人鱼形状对于测量星际磁场是很有用的。

增长的画廊: 昨晚的超级月食

明日的图片: open space

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