DECam Images RCW 86, Remains of Supernova Witnessed in 185

The tattered shell of the first-ever recorded supernova was captured by the US Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera, which is mounted on the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. A ring of glowing debris is all that remains of a white dwarf star that exploded more than 1800 years ago when it was recorded by Chinese astronomers as a ‘guest star’. This special image, which covers an impressive 45 arcminutes on the sky, gives a rare view of the entirety of this supernova remnant.

Credit:

CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

 

About the Image

Id:noirlab2307a
Type:Observation
Release date:March 1, 2023, 11 a.m.
Related releases:noirlab2307
Size:13546 x 10647 px

About the Object

Name:RCW 86
Constellation:Circinus
Category:Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEGLarge JPEG
78.2 MB
Screensize JPEGScreensize JPEG
715.0 KB

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6.3 MB

Coordinates

ObjectValue
Position (RA):14 42 59.76
Position (Dec):-62° 34' 9.52"
Field of view:60.96 x 47.91 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 90.0° left of vertical