APOD: Supernova Remnant Puppis A (2014 Sep 12)

[APOD Robot]

Supernova Remnant Puppis A

Explanation: Driven by the explosion of a massive star, supernova remnant Puppis A is blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium about 7,000 light-years away. At that distance, this remarkable false-color exploration of its complex expansion is about 180 light-years wide. It is based on the most complete X-ray data set so far from the Chandra and XMM/Newton observations, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In blue hues, the filamentary X-ray glow is from gas heated by the supernova's shock wave, while the infrared emission shown in red and green is from warm dust. The bright pastel tones trace the regions where shocked gas and warmed dust mingle. Light from the initial supernova itself, triggered by the collapse of the massive star's core, would have reached Earth about 3,700 years ago, though the Puppis A supernova remnant remains a strong source in the X-ray sky.

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[Beyond]

I do like the nice green stars scattered about. Judging by the colors, Puppis A would seem to be a rather complicated thing.

[User loser]

Like the fist of an angry god!

[Nitpicker]

At 7000 light years distant, I think the "180 light years wide" comes from the ROSAT image, 88 arcmin across, in the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppis_A), viz:
180 = 7000 * tan(88/60)

So, that would make the longest axis of SR Puppis A about 110 light years, which more or less matches the width of the APOD, as well.

And 3700 years ago, due to precession, it would have had a declination of about -36° (roughly 7° more northward than it is now) which may have made it more visible to more of the historic (post written records) civilisations around at the time.

[bystander]

http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=33862

[starsurfer]

I don't understand how there are almost no optical images of this! It has lots of Ha emission and it also belongs to the category of oxygen rich supernova remnants, so it also has lots of OIII.

Don Goldman needs to get on the case!

[yasgur]

Like the fist of an angry god!

It does look a bit like a clenched fist, doesn't it. Although, it seems to have it's thumb tucked inside it's fingers against the palm which is the road to dislocation.

[Boomer12k]

Must have been a Sight to see when it happened....

:---[===] *

[NCTOM]

What would be the impact of these massive shock waves on nearby star systems, say within twenty light years?

[Anna Phylaxis]

I don't understand how that angry fist can be 7,000 light years away and yet became visible to us 3,700 years ago. Surely the light from the supernova didn't break its own speed limit, did it?

[Nitpicker]

I don't understand how that angry fist can be 7,000 light years away and yet became visible to us 3,700 years ago. Surely the light from the supernova didn't break its own speed limit, did it?

The supernova popped 10,700 years ago, but its light only arrived at Earth 3,700 years ago, as a bright flash in the sky, before expanding in size and dwindling in brightness to the remnant we detect today, mainly outside the visible spectrum.

[lmpr8r]

I like how some of the objects are named with a "common name". Does supernova remnant Puppis A have a common name? If not, I recommend "The Fist". At least from the vantage point shown and until the gasses and dust filaments drift into another configuration, it does look like a defiantly/angrily clenched hand.

[jsmunroe]

Like the fist of an angry god!

Or a fist bump. Why do we always make gods angry? Maybe they just want props. :p

[Chris Peterson]

I don't understand how that angry fist can be 7,000 light years away and yet became visible to us 3,700 years ago. Surely the light from the supernova didn't break its own speed limit, did it? :?

It doesn't matter when it "really" happened. There's always an error in our knowledge of distance, and it would be silly to always be changing our time as our understanding of distance changed.

In physics we almost always time events by when they are observed. This is particularly true with astronomical observations.

[geckzilla]

Like the fist of an angry god!

Or a fist bump. Why do we always make gods angry? Maybe they just want props. :p

What makes gods have hands at all? A lack of imagination.

[FloridaMike]

I dub thee the "Fist Bump Nebula" ... HA!

[Nitpicker]

Given its place in Puppis (the poop deck of Argo Navis), what about Jason's Fist or Argonaut's Fist?

[ta152h0]

this looks like a grape pod. Did this thing explode all at once, or was this a summation of a bunch of explosions ?

[Guest]

What would be the impact of these massive shock waves on nearby star systems, say within twenty light years?

The spread of the gas at that velocity, 180LY in 3700y, is fast and although tenuous it must cause disruption to the solar wind of nearby stars (out to 20 - 50 - 100LY ???) with the consequences for any life on planets around those stars. Are there any stars within a 100LY from us likely to go supernova?

[Chris Peterson]

The spread of the gas at that velocity, 180LY in 3700y, is fast and although tenuous it must cause disruption to the solar wind of nearby stars (out to 20 - 50 - 100LY ???) with the consequences for any life on planets around those stars. Are there any stars within a 100LY from us likely to go supernova?

Why would you expect some interaction with a star's solar wind to have any consequences for life around a planet?

The radiation created by a nearby supernova could certainly represent a problem. The actual material, however, probably not.

[ta152h0]

how far does " nearby " have to be to not be " nearby " anymore ?

[Ann]

how far does " nearby " have to be to not be " nearby " anymore ?

Well, that depends.

Since the approximate radius of the Milky Way is about 50,000 light-years, a supernova 7,000 light-years away is pretty nearby.

Ann

[Chris Peterson]

how far does " nearby " have to be to not be " nearby " anymore ?

If you're talking about the Earth, a supernova within about 100 ly is near enough that its gamma emissions will have some impact on life (mostly through indirect mechanisms like modification of the ozone layer). Such events have occurred several times since complex life developed on Earth, and probably influenced life's evolutionary path.

On planets without thick atmospheres, or with smaller magnetic fields, the critical distance could be somewhat farther. Also, a farther event which had a jet axis aligned with the Earth (or other planet) could affect life.

There are currently no supernova candidates closer than 100 ly.

[NCTOM]

Thanks for the responses. Always educational.

[starsurfer]

how far does " nearby " have to be to not be " nearby " anymore ?

Well, that depends.

Since the approximate radius of the Milky Way is about 50,000 light-years, a supernova 7,000 light-years away is pretty nearby.

Ann

I thought the radius of the Milky Way was approximately 100,000 light years?