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Shock Wave in Kepler’s Supernova Remnant
Detailed knots and filamentary ribbons of glowing gas are apparent in this Hubble Space Telescope image of Kepler's supernova remnant. This image was taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in August 2003. Filters onboard Hubble isolate visible light emitted by hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen in the remnant and also let through starlight from foreground and background stars.
These images reveal where the supernova shock wave is slamming into dense regions of nearby gas. The bright glowing knots are dense clumps that form behind the outward moving shock wave. As the shock ploughs into material lost from the progenitor star after the initial supernova explosion, instabilities left in its wake cause the swept-up gas to fragment into clumps. The Hubble data also show thin filaments of gas. These filaments reveal where the shock wave is encountering lower-density, more uniform interstellar material.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.17h 30m 40.79s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-21° 29' 11.0"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Ophiuchus
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.13,000 light-years (4,000 parsecs)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.This image was created from Hubble observations from proposal 9731:: R. Sankrit and W. Blair (Johns Hopkins Univ.), L. Rudnick (U. Minnesota), T. DeLaney (U. Minnesota and Harvard-Smithsonian/Center for Astrophysics), I. Harrus (Goddard Space Flight Center). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFPC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.August 28-29, 2003 and May 26, 2004v, Exposure Time: 23,509 seconds (6.5 hours)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F502N ([O III]), F550M (V), F658N (Halpha+[N II]), F660N ([N II]), and F673N ([S II])
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Kepler's Supernova Remnant, SN 1604, V 843 Ophiuchi, G004.5+06.8
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Supernova Remnant
- Release DateOctober 6, 2004
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Great Observatories May Unravel 400-Year Old Supernova Mystery
- CreditsNASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgment: R. Sankrit and W. Blair (Johns Hopkins University)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
