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Credit & Copyright: W. Brandner
(UIUC),
E.K. Grebel
(U. Wuerzburg), et al.,
ESO,
1.54-m Telescope,
Chile
Explanation:
No supernova
has ever been predicted - yet. These
dramatic stellar explosions
that destroy stars, that create and disperse the elements
that compose
people and
planets, that
light up the night sky,
are not so well understood that astronomers can accurately
predict when a star will explode - yet. Perhaps Sher 25 will be the first. Sher 25, designated by the arrow, is a blue
supergiant
star located just outside the
open star cluster and
ionized
region named NGC 3603. Sher 25 lies in the center of an
hourglass shaped nebula much like the
one that surrounds the last bright supernova visible from Earth:
SN1987a. Now the hourglass shaped rings around
SN1987a
were emitted before that blue supergiant
exploded.
Maybe Sher 25 has expelled these bipolar rings in a step that closely precedes a
supernova.
Maybe not. If so, Sher 25 may be within a few thousand years of its spectacular finale.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: supernova
Publications with words: supernova
See also:
- APOD: 2023 October 11 Á NGC 1097: Spiral Galaxy with Supernova
- APOD: 2023 July 9 Á Doomed Star Eta Carinae
- APOD: 2023 May 22 Á Supernova Discovered in Nearby Spiral Galaxy M101
- Supernova Cannon Expels Pulsar J0002
- SN Requiem: A Supernova Seen Three Times So Far
- NGC 7814: Little Sombrero with Supernova
- Supernova in NGC 2525