The Vela Supernova Remnant | European Southern Observatory

The Vela Supernova Remnant | European Southern Observatory

This image shows the remnants of a supernova explosion. It appears as a wispy structure of pink and orange clouds. These clouds cover almost the entirety of the image with many of them appearing as filaments, long and thin in shape. Throughout the image, there are also many stars, shining with white, orange, and blue light. There are stars much brighter and larger than others.

What is left over after a massive star reaches the end of its life? This image shows a small but very intricate portion of the Vela supernova remnant, the violent and yet beautiful aftermath of an explosive stellar death.

This dramatic scene played out around 11,000 years ago when a massive star in the constellation Vela went supernova. During this violent event, the star would have shined so brightly that it could be seen during the day.

This detailed and stunning view of the gaseous filaments in the remnant and the bright blue stars in the foreground were captured using the 286-million-pixel OmegaCAM at the VLT Survey Telescope, hosted at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory. OmegaCAM can take images through several filters that each let the telescope observe the light emitted in a distinct color. To capture this image, four filters have been used, represented here by a combination of magenta, blue, green and red.

Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team

Acknowledgement: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

Release Date: Nov. 20, 2023

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