The Vela Supernova Remnant in The Milky Way Galaxy | ESO

The Vela Supernova Remnant in The Milky Way Galaxy | ESO

The image shows the remnants of a supernova explosion. It appears as a wispy structure of pink and orange clouds. While there are clouds that look like thin filaments all over the image, one major pink column can be seen going from the top of the image to the bottom. Meanwhile, an orange colored column of clouds stretches from left to right in the bottom half of the image. Throughout the image, there are also many stars, shining with white, orange, and blue light. A number of these stars are much brighter and larger than others.

Around 11,000 years ago a massive star ended its life in a powerful explosion, known as a supernova. During explosions like this, shock waves ripple out through the surrounding gas, compressing it into intricate thread-like structures. The energy released during a supernova then heats these threads, causing them to shine brightly. The result is what we can see: the Vela supernova remnant. 

This picture is just a small chunk of a much larger image, taken with the OmegaCAM instrument on the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), which is hosted at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory. At only 800 light-years from Earth, the Vela supernova remnant is one of the closest examples of these dramatic events. Thanks to its proximity we can study this object in great detail, to help us understand what happens when massive stars reach the end of their life in spectacular fashion.

Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team. Acknowledgement: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

Release Date: June 24, 2024

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