NASA’s Hubble telescope shares stunning images of a star's explosion
The post has gathered over 1.9 million views and over 21k likes
On February 27, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space agency shared incredible images of a stars explosion (Supernova) taken by its Hubble telescope.
So what happens when a star dies? All stars eventually run out of hydrogen gas. Once no fuel is left, the star collapses, and the outer layers explode as a 'supernova'. NASA recently shared one such phenomenon. They always wow the internet by posting incredible pictures of stars and galaxies on their official Twitter handle @NASAHubble.
The post caption: "What do all these Hubble images have in common? They show the aftermath of stars that died in a bright, powerful explosion known as a supernova. In a supernova, a star's contents fling out into space at speeds of up to 25,000 miles (15,000 to 40,000 km) per second!"
According to NASA's website, the first image showed the Veil Nebula, which lies around 2,100 light years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (the Swan). The second picture featured shreds of the colourful supernova remnant DEM L 190. According to the US space agency, the delicate sheets and intricate filaments are debris from the cataclysmic death of a massive star that once lived in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
The third picture is of a Crab Nebula. "This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD, is filled with mysterious filaments," NASA explained. The fourth and last image is that of a supernova 2,400 light years away that looks like an orange ribbon. The photo is part of the Cygnus supernova blast wave, which is found in "the northern constellation of Cygnus (the Swan), where it covers an area 36 times larger than the full Moon," NASA said.
According to NASA, supernova explosions happen when there is a change in the core or centre of a star. The supernova remnants consist of material from the exploded star as well as any interstellar material it captures in its path.
Social media users are in awe of these stunning pictures.
Replying to NASA's post, a Twitter user, @HeiKo51112349 wrote: "Though stars may die, they leave behind, A legacy that we can view, a cosmic tale for all mankind, Of beauty, power, and the new."
Commenting on a picture, another Twitterati named @Mercy said: "This must be the Timeline between parallel universe."
Since being posted, they have been viewed over 1.9 million times.