APOD: Supernova Remnant Simeis 147: The... (2016 Apr 25)

[APOD Robot]

Supernova Remnant Simeis 147: The Spaghetti Nebula

Explanation: It's easy to get lost following the intricate strands of the Spaghetti Nebula. A supernova remnant cataloged as Simeis 147 and Sh2-240, the glowing gas filaments cover nearly 3 degrees -- 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 sharp composite includes image data taken through a narrow-band filter to highlight emission from hydrogen atoms tracing 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 about 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.

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[Wilhuff Tarkin]

So many Death Star remnants. The Rebellion must have been busy as beavers.

[DL MARTIN CANADA]

IF THE REMANT IS 40,000 YEAR'S OLD AND IT TAKES 3,000 YEARS FOR THE IT'S LIGHT TO REACH EARTH, THEN WOULDN'T IT BE A COMBINED TOTAL OF 43,000 YEARS BEFORE THE LIGHT REACHED EARTH AND NOT THE STATED 40,000 YEARS?

[RedFishBlueFish]

Rather, could this not actually be the intricate, delicate and amazing Nativity of FSM?

Arrgh, even if 'tis not the case, this is a complex, beautiful and captivating image.

Thanks for another Amazing APOD!

Splendid start to the day.

[heehaw]

SR J0538+2817 is the pulsar. I wonder just where in the image is 5 hr 28 minutes +28 degrees 17 minutes?

[neufer]

IF THE REMANT IS 40,000 YEAR'S OLD AND IT TAKES 3,000 YEARS FOR THE IT'S LIGHT TO REACH EARTH, THEN WOULDN'T IT BE A COMBINED TOTAL OF 43,000 YEARS BEFORE THE LIGHT REACHED EARTH AND NOT THE STATED 40,000 YEARS?

We observe "snap shots" of astronomical objects as they were in the past (...in this case ~3,000 years in the past).

In general we describe these objects just as they appear to us:
e.g., when we observe a supernova in 1604 we state that the supernova 'occurred' in 1604.

Hence:

The supernova remnant has an estimated age of about 40,000 years,
meaning light from the massive stellar explosion first reached Earth about 40,000 years ago.

Means precisely what it says.

[neufer]

SR J0538+2817 is the pulsar. I wonder just where in the image is 5 hr 28 minutes +28 degrees 17 minutes?

• Near Elnath, a shared star of Taurus & Auriga.

[b][color=#0000FF]Being on the horns of a dilemma: ELNATH: Beta Tauri & Gamma Aurigae.[/color][/b]

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Elnath, β Tau
Right ascension 05h 26m 17.5134s
Declination 28° 36′ 27.494″
Apparent magnitude (V) 1.65
Distance 131 ± 5 ly

<<Beta Tauri (β Tau, β Tauri) is the second brightest star in the constellation Taurus, with an apparent magnitude of 1.68. Ptolemy considered Beta Tauri to be shared by Auriga, and Bayer assigned it a designation in both constellations: Beta Tauri (β Tau) and Gamma Aurigae (γ Aur). When the modern constellation boundaries were fixed in 1930, the latter designation dropped from use. Beta Tauri has the traditional name Elnath, El Nath, or Alnath, which comes from the Arabic word النطح an-naţħ, meaning "the butting" (i.e. of the bull's horns).

Uniquely positioned along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy a few degrees west of the galactic anticenter, Elnath heralds a rich collection of nebulae and star clusters. Relative to our Sun, β Tauri is notable for a high abundance of manganese, but little calcium and magnesium. This star has begun to evolve away from the main sequence.>>

[Coil_Smoke]

[Fred the Cat]

Hey. Today's APOD looks more like a Super Noodle remnant.

Sure it's not a M pasta? Though the color looks more indicative Spaghetti O's...

Now that's a quantum loop if I've ever seen one.

Happy Monday!!

[MarkBour]

Very good color for a spaghetti nebula. I wonder if Ann is going to comment on it.

[zendae]

the glowing gas filaments cover nearly 3 degrees -- 6 full moons -- on the sky.

I have read similar descriptions for other objects in the cosmos.
Is there a nice, poster-quality artists' rendition of how the night sky might look to us if all these phenomena spanning perhaps >= .5 degrees were visible? Let's say lightly visible to reduce the appearance of an overly garish sky.

[DL MARTIN CANADA]

if the light from the remnant reached earth 40,000 years ago then one must qualify any conclusion regarding the state of the remnant with a 3,000 year rider.

[geckzilla]

if the light from the remnant reached earth 40,000 years ago then one must qualify any conclusion regarding the state of the remnant with a 3,000 year rider.

No, one mustn't. It's just not what we do. Next time you watch a live broadcast, go gripe at them to add light travel time to everything they say. It would be entirely unnecessary and confusing in almost every case. The same is true for astronomy. Outside of the context where that sort of information is actually pertinent to the discussion, it doesn't get included.

And stop typing in all capital letters. I banned your IP for 7 days to get the message to you because it hasn't gotten through to you in the past. I have no way of contacting you other than through the ban message.

[Fred the Cat]

I didn't realize the leftovers of today's Astronomy Pasta of the Day were so hot and such a source of cosmic by-products. Does that mean supernovas could tell us as much about the surrounding interstellar medium as it does about the type of star that went "pastal" ?

(Maybe that's a better term which doesn't denigrate all the other USPS workers who keep their cool) Or maybe the remnant just tells us the type of ravioli that blew its cool?

[Ann]

Very good color for a spaghetti nebula. I wonder if Ann is going to comment on it.

Eh... it's too red...

Ann

[MarkBour]

the glowing gas filaments cover nearly 3 degrees -- 6 full moons -- on the sky.

I have read similar descriptions for other objects in the cosmos.
Is there a nice, poster-quality artists' rendition of how the night sky might look to us if all these phenomena spanning perhaps >= .5 degrees were visible? Let's say lightly visible to reduce the appearance of an overly garish sky.

Perhaps this is a start ... http://www.skymaps.com/store/samples/star%20chart.jpg
Unfortunately, the site says that poster is currently unavailable.

[Ann]

I didn't realize the leftovers of today's Astronomy Pasta of the Day were so hot and such a source of cosmic by-products. Does that mean supernovas could tell us as much about the surrounding interstellar medium as it does about the type of star that went "pastal" ?

(Maybe that's a better term which doesn't denigrate all the other USPS workers who keep their cool) Or maybe the remnant just tells us the type of ravioli that blew its cool?

Love your links, Fred. One of them took me to next spaghetti nebula. It will be blood red, I think!

Ann

[Antony Rawlinson]

Rather, could this not actually be the intricate, delicate and amazing Nativity of FSM?

Arrgh, even if 'tis not the case, this is a complex, beautiful and captivating image.

Thanks for another Amazing APOD!

Splendid start to the day.

I've added the link to the FSM Facebook page, for the enlightenment of the faithful. Log on and give me a "like"!

Sorry - didn't think of looking for devotional discussion here until today.

[starsurfer]

Very good color for a spaghetti nebula. I wonder if Ann is going to comment on it.

Eh... it's too red...

Ann

What else do you expect of hydrogen?
Also it does contain some oxygen but hardly any images show this.

[Ann]

Very good color for a spaghetti nebula. I wonder if Ann is going to comment on it.

Eh... it's too red...

Ann

What else do you expect of hydrogen?
Also it does contain some oxygen but hardly any images show this.

Correction. It's... red.

Ann

[MarkBour]

Okay, well I like the coloring. The filaments look orange-yellow, but there is lots of red. Whenever I eat spaghetti, it is slathered with tomato sauce, so it looks quite appetizing to me.