The Vela Supernova Remnant is an object within the constellation
of Vela, which can only be seen in the southern Hemisphere. It is about 6,000
light years away.
Around 10,000 years ago a massive star exploded as a
supernova that would have been easily visible from Earth. It has been estimated
that – for a short time – it would have been as bright as the Moon in the night
sky.
At the heart of the Remnant is a pulsar, this being a
rapidly spinning neutron star that is the extremely dense core – only 12 miles
in diameter - of the original star. The pulsar rotates about 11 times every
second, emitting radiation as it does so. At gamma-ray wavelengths the Vela Remnant
is the brightest object in the sky.
The Vela pulsar was only the second such object to be
discovered optically, the flashes being observed in 1977.
The Remnant itself is a spherical shell of material that has
been expanding into the interstellar medium ever since the supernova explosion.
© John Welford
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