Posted on 10/09/2012 3:52:11 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: It's easy to get lost following the intricate filaments in this detailed mosaic image of faint supernova remnant Simeis 147 (S147). Also cataloged as Sh2-240, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 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. Anchoring the frame at the right, bright star Elnath (Beta Tauri) is seen towards the boundary of the constellations Taurus and Auriga, almost exactly opposite the galactic center in planet Earth's sky. 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 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)]
Bump
I searched but I couldn’t find any mention on how bright the supernova would have been. The last one seen from earth was Kepler’s Nova which was -2.5 and that was 20,000 light years away. This one was just 3000 light years. It may have scared the crap out of some Neanderthals. (I’ll ask my mother in law)
It’s truly amazing what a little false color and a bit of image overlay can do for those photographs. I just love imaging!
LITTLE GIRL ON A PLANE
An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned
to her and said, “Do you want to talk?
Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”
The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the
total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?”
Oh, I don’t know,” said the atheist. “How about why there is no God,
or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?” as he smiled smugly.
“OK,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask
you a question first.
A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass.
Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty,
but a horse produces clumps.
Why do you suppose that is?
The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks
about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”
To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss
why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death,
when you don’t know shit?”
And then she went back to reading her book.
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