Fact Sheet
Hot Bubble
More than four centuries after it first appeared in Earth's night sky, an exploding star continues to expand into the galaxy. Named Tycho's Supernova in honor of Tycho Brahe, the astronomer who first recorded it when it appeared in 1572, the explosion now forms a giant bubble that spans many light-years. This image combines optical, X-ray, and infrared light. It shows the edge of the bubble as a blue shockwave that continues to race outward at thousands of miles per second. Hot gas glows yellow and green, while red shows solid particles that formed in the aftermath of the explosion. The remnant of Tycho's Supernova is about 7,500 light-years away, in the northern constellation Cassiopeia. [MPIA/NASA]
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