images

The Vela Supernova Remnant

by

S.Guisard/Novapix

Reference

a-snv11-00078

Date

2008-07-11

About 120 centuries ago an inconspicuous star in what is now the constellation of Vela brightened by about 100 million times to rival the Moon as the brightest object in the night sky. This photograph shows a portion of the north-western quadrant of an expanding nebulous shell, which now surrounds the site of the explosion.