CXC Home | Search | Help | Image Use Policy | Latest Images | Privacy | Accessibility | Glossary | Q&A
Tour of G352.7-0.1
Quicktime MPEG
Supernovas are the spectacular ends to the lives of many massive stars. These explosions, which occur on average twice a century in the Milky Way, can produce enormous amounts of energy and be as bright as an entire galaxy. These events are also important because the remains of the shattered star are hurled into space. As this debris field - called a supernova remnant - expands, it carries the material it encounters along with it. Astronomers have found a supernova remnant that is sweeping up a remarkable amount of material - equivalent to 45 times the mass of the Sun. This may indicate that a special type of stellar evolution has occurred, involving a giant star that ran into unusually dense material before exploding to form a supernova remnant. This supernova - which is called G352.7-0.1 -- has other interesting traits that scientists are still looking to explain. G352.7-0.1 is found about 24,000 light years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.
[Runtime: 01:17]
Quicktime MPEG
Supernovas are the spectacular ends to the lives of many massive stars. These explosions, which occur on average twice a century in the Milky Way, can produce enormous amounts of energy and be as bright as an entire galaxy. These events are also important because the remains of the shattered star are hurled into space. As this debris field - called a supernova remnant - expands, it carries the material it encounters along with it. Astronomers have found a supernova remnant that is sweeping up a remarkable amount of material - equivalent to 45 times the mass of the Sun. This may indicate that a special type of stellar evolution has occurred, involving a giant star that ran into unusually dense material before exploding to form a supernova remnant. This supernova - which is called G352.7-0.1 -- has other interesting traits that scientists are still looking to explain. G352.7-0.1 is found about 24,000 light years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.
[Runtime: 01:17]
(Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart)
Sweeping Supernovas
Quicktime MPEG With closed-captions (at YouTube)
Supernovas are the spectacular ends to the lives of many massive stars. They are explosions that produce enormous amounts of energy and can shine as bright as an entire galaxy made up of billions of stars! These events are very important because the remains of the shattered star are hurled into space. This material goes on to form new stars, planets and moons - in fact, both you and I are made of supernova material! As these fields of leftover star material (called supernova remnants) expand, they sweep up all the material they encounter and carry it along with them.
This space photograph shows a 2200-year-old supernova remnant that is sweeping up a remarkable amount of material - enough to make 45 Suns! The blue material in the picture shows the supernova remnant, the space dust is shown in pink. The impressive amount of material swept up by this remnant may be the first clue that something special happened to this star before it exploded. Another clue is the temperature of the material, which is unusually hot and still emitting (sending out) high-energy X-rays. With 2200 years having passed since the supernova explosion, the remaining material has normally cooled much more. Unfortunately, you'll have to watch this space to find out the cause for these oddities, as scientists are still trying to figure it out themselves!
[Runtime: 02:03]
Quicktime MPEG With closed-captions (at YouTube)
Supernovas are the spectacular ends to the lives of many massive stars. They are explosions that produce enormous amounts of energy and can shine as bright as an entire galaxy made up of billions of stars! These events are very important because the remains of the shattered star are hurled into space. This material goes on to form new stars, planets and moons - in fact, both you and I are made of supernova material! As these fields of leftover star material (called supernova remnants) expand, they sweep up all the material they encounter and carry it along with them.
This space photograph shows a 2200-year-old supernova remnant that is sweeping up a remarkable amount of material - enough to make 45 Suns! The blue material in the picture shows the supernova remnant, the space dust is shown in pink. The impressive amount of material swept up by this remnant may be the first clue that something special happened to this star before it exploded. Another clue is the temperature of the material, which is unusually hot and still emitting (sending out) high-energy X-rays. With 2200 years having passed since the supernova explosion, the remaining material has normally cooled much more. Unfortunately, you'll have to watch this space to find out the cause for these oddities, as scientists are still trying to figure it out themselves!
[Runtime: 02:03]
(Credit: NASA/CXC/April Jubett)
Return to G352.7-0.1 (April 10, 2014)
Revised: July 06, 2023