Dusty Celestial Ornaments Dusty Celestial Ornament: Supernova Cassiopeian A in Infrared
spitzer_ssc2007-20a2
December 20, 2007
Creator: Spitzer Space Telescope
Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1719-ssc2007-20a2-Supernova-Remnant-Cassiopeia-A-Argon-Gas
Cassiopeia A, is a supernova remnant is located about 10,000 light-years away in our own Milky Way galaxy.
This infrared view shows argon gas (green) that was synthesized as it was ejected from the star.
The data for this image was 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) | 7.0 µm |
| Image constructed from specific wavelengths extracted from 1,700 IRS spectra | |||
