A new video from US-based space agency NASA has shed new light on how a supernova explosion evolves over a 13-year period. The growing debris field, called Cassiopeia A, is thought to have been created following a star explosion in 1680.
The video, derived from the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory indicates even an old explosion can subtly change even over a cosmically brief period.
Arrows in the video, collected between 2000 and 2013, reveal blue shock waves rippling through space.
These shock waves produce X-ray emissions and accelerating particles to high speeds.
The video combines X-ray data from the NASA Chandra with Hubble Space Telescope observations.
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While reverse shocks typically travel more slowly than the initial blast wave, NASA believes some of those in Cassiopeia A do the opposite.
Their speeds remain fairly high, between about five million and nine million mph (eight million and 14 million kmh).
The phenomenon could be the consequence of the initial blast wave running into area of cosmic material and slowing down.
Cassiopeia A was the first object Chandra observed, shortly after its launch to space in July 1999.
That first observation yielded new science, NASA noted, because Chandra observed a neutron star.
Neutron stars are the dense remnants remaining from a star explosion, embedded in the debris.
Other observations from Chandra over the decades have revealed some of the key elements for life in the explosion and have also generated 3D models of the supernova remnant.
The NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory’s unique X-ray eyes have contributed to a revolution in our understanding of the cosmos.
Paul Hertz, Director of Astrophysics at NASA, said in a statement: “In this year of exceptional anniversaries – 50 years after Apollo 11 and 100 years after the solar eclipse that proved Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity – we should not lose sight of one more.
“Chandra was launched 20 years ago, and it continues to deliver amazing science discoveries year after year.”
To commemorate Chandra’s 20th anniversary of science operations, NASA this year released new images, demonstrating the variety of objects it studies as well as how X-rays complement the data collected in other types of light.