Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornaments: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A in the Infrared
spitzer_ssc2007-20a3
December 20, 2007
Creator: Spitzer Space Telescope
Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1721-ssc2007-20a3-Supernova-Remnant-Cassiopeia-A-Silicates
The Cassiopeia A supernova remnant is located about 10,000 light-years away in our own Milky Way galaxy.
This infrared view shows a collection of dust (red), including proto-silicates, silicate dioxide and iron oxide.
The data for this image were taken by Spitzer's infrared spectrograph, which splits light apart to reveal the fingerprints of molecules and elements. In total, Spitzer collected separate "spectra" at more than 1,700 positions across Cassiopeia A.
Image Use Policy: Public Domain
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Image Details
- Image Type
- Observation
- Object Name
- Cassiopeia A • Cas A
- Subject - Milky Way
- Nebula » Type » Supernova Remnant
Position Details
- Position (ICRS)
- RA = 23h 23m 25.7s
- DEC = 58° 49’ 12.9”
- Orientation
- North is 0.2° CCW
- Field of View
- 8.0 x 8.0 arcminutes
- Constellation
- Cassiopeia
Color Mapping
| Telescope | Spectral Band | Wavelength | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Spitzer (IRS) | Infrared (Mid-IR) | 21.0 µm |
| Image constructed from specific wavelengths extracted from 1,700 IRS spectra | |||
