                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2026 June 2
   The starfield is filled with many red nebulas, areas of dark dust, and
     light blue filaments. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                         The Vela Supernova Remnant
                   Image Credit & Copyright: José Mtanous

   Explanation: The explosion is over, but the consequences continue.
   About twelve thousand years ago, a relatively normal star in the
   constellation Vela suddenly exploded, creating a strange point of light
   briefly visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded
   history. The outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar
   medium, driving a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured
   image, taken piecemeal over 60 hours from the Khomas Region of Namibia,
   captures some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light,
   with details highlighted by hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) emissions.
   As gas flies away from the detonated star, it decays and reacts with
   the interstellar medium, producing light in many different colors and
   energy bands. Remaining at the center of the Vela Supernova Remnant is
   a pulsar, a star as dense as nuclear matter that spins around more than
   ten times in a single second.

                 Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

