超新星遗迹Simeis 147

2019 November 21

Simeis 147: Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: David Lindemann

Explanation: It’s easy to get lost following the intricate looping filaments in this detailed image of supernova remnant Simeis 147. Also cataloged as Sharpless 2-240 it goes by the popular nickname, the Spaghetti Nebula. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations Taurus and Auriga, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 6 full moons on the sky. That’s about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud’s estimated distance of 3,000 light-years. This composite includes image data taken through narrow-band filters where reddish emission from ionized hydrogen atoms and doubly ionized oxygen atoms in faint blue-green hues trace the shocked, glowing gas. The supernova remnant has an estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from the massive stellar explosion first reached Earth 40,000 years ago. But the expanding remnant is not the only aftermath. The cosmic catastrophe also left behind a spinning neutron star or pulsar, all that remains of the original star’s core.

超新星遗迹Simeis 147
影像来源与版权: David Lindemann

说明：在这幅超新星遗迹Simeis 147的精细影像里，我们很容易迷失在错综复杂的环状细丝结构里。这个超新星遗迹的编录号为Sharpless 2-240，也被昵称为意大利面星云。该星云位于金牛座和御夫座的边界，覆盖了将近3度或6个满月的天区。根据这个恒星碎片云的估计距离3000光年来计算，它的大小约为150光年。这幅合成影像包含了通过窄带滤光器获得的影像数据，其中，电离氢原子发出的红色辐射和双电离氧原子发出的黯淡蓝绿色辉光凸显出受到激发的炽热气体。这个超新星遗迹的估计年龄为4万年，也就是说，来自这次大质量恒星爆炸的光在4万年前就首次到达地球。然而，扩张的碎片云并不是超新星爆炸遗留的唯一残骸。这次宇宙大灾难还遗留了一颗自转的中子星或脉冲星，这是原恒星核心的所有残骸。