In the constellation Gemini, about 5,000 light years from Earth, lies IC 443, a complex supernova remnant often called the Jellyfish Nebula. This intricate web of filaments marks the expanding shockwave of a massive star that ended its life tens of thousands of years ago. The glowing red structures trace hydrogen gas energized by the blast, while bluish filaments reveal regions where high energy shock fronts excite oxygen atoms. The remnant’s distorted, asymmetric shape results from its collision with surrounding molecular clouds, which slow and sculpt the expanding debris.
IC 443 is believed to be associated with a neutron star left behind by the explosion, now speeding through space and continuing to energize the surrounding material. The interaction between the supernova shockwave and dense interstellar gas makes this object a valuable laboratory for studying stellar death and cosmic ray acceleration. Captured from Osnabrück, Germany, this deep exposure highlights the delicate filamentary structure and the dramatic contrast between hot ionized gas and the dark, obscuring dust that threads through this turbulent region of our galaxy.
In the constellation Gemini, about 5,000 light years from Earth, lies IC 443, a complex supernova remnant often called the Jellyfish Nebula. This intricate web of filaments marks the expanding shockwave of a massive star that ended its life tens of thousands of years ago. The glowing red structures trace hydrogen gas energized by the blast, while bluish filaments reveal regions where high energy shock fronts excite oxygen atoms. The remnant’s distorted, asymmetric shape results from its collision with surrounding molecular clouds, which slow and sculpt the expanding debris.
IC 443 is believed to be associated with a neutron star left behind by the explosion, now speeding through space and continuing to energize the surrounding material. The interaction between the supernova shockwave and dense interstellar gas makes this object a valuable laboratory for studying stellar death and cosmic ray acceleration. Captured from Osnabrück, Germany, this deep exposure highlights the delicate filamentary structure and the dramatic contrast between hot ionized gas and the dark, obscuring dust that threads through this turbulent region of our galaxy.