The Vela Supernova Remnant
The explosion is over, but the consequences continue. About twelve thousand years ago, a relatively normal star in the constellation Vela suddenly exploded , creating a strange point of light briefly visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history . The outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar medium , driving a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured image , taken piecemeal over 60 hours from the Khomas Region of Namibia , captures some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light , with details highlighted by hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) emissions. As gas flies away from the detonated star, it decays and reacts with the interstellar medium , producing light in many different colors and energy bands. Remaining at the center of the Vela Supernova Remnant is a pulsar , a star as dense as nuclear matter that spins around more than ten times in a single second. Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator