NASA has released spectacular images of supernovae, showing 20 years in 20 seconds PHOTO

X-ray observations over two decades reveal the evolution of extreme environments.

Incredible images from NASA

NASA has released two new movies showing changes in observations of two well-known sources in the sky: Cassiopeia A and the Crab Nebula. Both are the remnants of massive stars that have exploded in supernovae in our galaxy. Time-lapse videos condense 20 years of Chandra X-ray telescope data into just 20 seconds.

GODMOTHER

The explosion that created the Crab Nebula appeared in our sky almost a thousand years ago in 1054. It was reported by Chinese astronomers and many others around the world (the lack of mentions in Europe may have something to do with the Catholic Church). The supernova left behind a pulsar, and Chandra was able to track the highly energetic changes around this extreme object from 2000 to 2022.

Cassiopeia A is a much younger supernova remnant. It was visible from Earth 340 years ago, and Chandra has been observing it since 2000. Previous observations that showed its changes focused on the period 2000 to 2013, but in the new time-lapse it was extended to 2018. Shock waves are visible in observations, where particles are accelerated, emitting X-rays in the process.

Understanding the universe

Cassiopeia A has a neutron star at its core, discovered by Chandra shortly after the telescope was launched in 1999. The observations were crucial in helping us better understand how stars explode in supernovae and how neutron stars and pulsars form in the process.

Cassiopeia A images were recently reprocessed with a new technique that took Chandra’s sharp vision to its next limit. The two new movies show Chandra’s ability to demonstrate observations and data captured over a human time span. These discoveries not only amaze us, but also help us to better understand the surrounding universe and the evolution of cosmic phenomena over time.