NASA's Hubble Telescope captures stunning image of supernova blast wave 2400 light years away

New Delhi | Jagran Trending Desk: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a section of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, located around 2,400 light-years away from Earth. The barrier of light appears to look like a delicate and light orange veil draped across the sky.

The image depicts a very small section of Cygnus Loop — a massive structure that would have covered a portion of the sky 36 times larger than the full moon if it were completely in the visible spectrum. The structure is a remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred around 10,000-20,000 light years ago, according to NASA.

Ever since the supernova explosion, the remnant has expanded 60 light-years from its centre. The shockwave marks the outer edge of the supernova remnant and continues to expand at around 220 miles per second.

“The name of the supernova remnant comes from its position in the northern constellation of Cygnus (the Swan), where it covers an area 36 times larger than the full Moon,” NASA said in a statement.

The image, which was stared by NASA on its Instagram handle, has garnered more than 9.7 lakh likes.

 

 

 

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Do you believe in magic? ✨ ⁣ While appearing as a delicate and light veil draped across the sky, this @NASAHubble image reminds us of the power of imagination. What does this look like to you?⁣ ⁣ In reality, it's a small section of a Cygnus supernova blast wave, located around 2,400 light-years away. The original supernova explosion blasted apart a dying star about 20 times more massive than our Sun between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. Since then, the remnant has expanded 60 light-years from its center. ⁣ ⁣ Credit: @EuropeanSpaceAgency/Hubble & NASA, W. Blair; acknowledgment: Leo Shatz⁣ ⁣ #SuperNova #Serene #Hubble #CosmicBeauty #NASA

A post shared by NASA (@nasa) onAug 28, 2020 at 12:51pm PDT

“The interaction of the ejected material and the low-density interstellar material swept up by the shockwave forms the distinctive veil-like structure seen in this image,” it added.

A supernova is a powerful and luminous stellar explosion. Most supernovae are triggered by one of two basic mechanisms: the sudden re-ignition of nuclear fusion in a degenerate star such as a white dwarf, or the sudden gravitational collapse of a massive star's core.