The Vela Supernova Remnant
Massive stars die in spectacular fashion, once their nuclear fuel is exhausted there is no longer enough outward pressure to hold the star's shape. Gravity takes over collapsing billions of tons of star material toward the center of the star, the star's iron core instantly shrinks and then recoils producing a shock wave that violently explodes outward ripping the star apart in what is called a supernova explosion. The extreme heat created, exceeding 100-billion degrees, produces new heavy elements including Gold, Platinum, Lead, Uranium and Silver that enrich the surrounding universe with elements essential for the formation of new stars and planets. High speed shock waves travel outward from the explosion and compress the gas and dust in surrounding space, triggering the formation of new stars. The green areas we see in my image reveals the presence of Oxygen, created in the star and spread by the supernova explosion. The red areas are regions of hydrogen. Earth would be far too small to appear in this photo.
Photographic Print
Framed
