Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA's Great Observatories Provide a Detailed View of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

NASA's three Great Observatories - the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory - joined forces to probe the expanding remains of a supernova, called Kepler's supernova remnant, first seen 400 years ago by sky watchers, including...

Kepler's Supernova Remnant In Visible, X-Ray and Infrared Light

Chandra X-ray Observatory Data of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

Chandra X-ray Observatory Data of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

Kepler's Supernova Remnant in Visible Light

Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Data of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

Kepler's Supernova Remnant: Views from Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer

These images represent views of Kepler's supernova remnant taken in X-rays, visible light, and infrared radiation. Each top panel shows the entire remnant. Each color in this image represents a different region of the electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to infrared light. The...

Chandra X-ray Observatory: Kepler's Supernova Remnant (X-ray data)

Visible Light Image of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

Spitzer Space Telescope: Kepler's Supernova Remnant (infrared data)

Chandra X-ray Observatory: Kepler's Supernova Remnant (close-up, X-ray data)

Close-Up Visible Light Image of Kepler's Supernova Remnant

Spitzer Space Telescope: Kepler's Supernova Remnant (close-up, infrared data)

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...

Hubble Space Telescope Animation (Aft, Half Turn)

Animation of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Spitzer Space Telescope

Animation of the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Zoom-In to Kepler's Supernova Remnant

This "zoom" starts in the Scorpius constellation and pushes through deeper and narrower telescopic fields to at last reach Kepler's supernova remnant, a composite of images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope.

Chandra, Hubble, Spitzer Composite View of Kepler's supernova

The composite view of Kepler's supernova splits into its three components: blue-green for Chandra, yellow for Hubble, and red for Spitzer. Each observatory's full image is then shown for side-by-side comparison, beginning with Chandra, then Hubble, and finally Spitzer.

Supernova Explosion

This animation of a supernova explosion demonstrates what happens when a massive star explodes and creates a shell of hot gas that glows brightly in X-rays. These X-rays reveal the dynamics of the explosion.

Interview with Dr. William Blair: Clip 1 of 2

Interview with Dr. William Blair (John Hopkins University), principal investigator of the Spitzer observations, on what the observations tell us about Kepler's Supernova Remnant.

Interview with Dr. William Blair: Clip 2 of 2

Interview with Dr. William Blair (John Hopkins University), principal investigator of the Spitzer observations, on why multi-wavelength capabilities are important.

Interview with Dr. Ravi Sankrit: Clip 1 of 2

Interview with Dr. Ravi Sankrit (John Hopkins University) , principal investigator of the Hubble observations, on the benefit of having three observatories and multi-wavelength capabilities.

Interview with Dr. Ravi Sankrit: Clip 2 of 2

Interview with Dr. Ravi Sankrit (John Hopkins University), principal investigator of the Hubble observations, on what he feels is Johannes Kepler's legacy 400 years after his observation.

Interview with Dr. Daniel Lewis: Clip 1 of 2

Interview with Dr. Daniel Lewis, curator for History of Science and Technology at Huntington Library, on what he feels is Johannes Kepler's legacy 400 years after his observation.

Interview with Dr. Daniel Lewis: Clip 2 of 2

Interview with Dr. Daniel Lewis, curator for History of Science and Technology at Huntington Library, on what he feels is the significance of the 1604 event.