Ghostly Stellar Tendrils of the Vela Supernova Remnant

This colorful web of wispy gas filaments is the Vela Supernova Remnant, an expanding nebula of cosmic debris left over from a massive star that exploded about 11,000 years ago. This image was taken with the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the US National Science Foundation's Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. The striking reds, yellows, and blues in this image were achieved through the use of three DECam filters that each collect a specific color of light. Separate images were taken in each filter and then stacked on top of each other to produce this high-resolution image that contains 1.3 gigapixels and showcases the intricate web-like filaments snaking throughout the expanding cloud of gas.

Credit:

CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

About the Image

Id:noirlab2406a
Type:Observation
Release date:March 12, 2024, 8 a.m.
Related releases:noirlab2406
Size:35786 x 35881 px

About the Object

Name:Vela SNR
Constellation:Vela
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Screensize JPEGScreensize JPEG
672.7 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x7681024x768
558.8 KB
1280x10241280x1024
907.8 KB
1600x12001600x1200
1.3 MB
1920x12001920x1200
1.5 MB
2048x15362048x1536
6.0 MB

Coordinates

ObjectValue
Position (RA):8 31 19.09
Position (Dec):-43° 55' 45.53"
Field of view:161.11 x 161.53 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.1° left of vertical


Colors & filters

BandWave-lengthTele-scope
Optical
OIII
501 nmVíctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
DECam
Optical
S II
673 nmVíctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
DECam
Optical
H-alpha + NII
662 nmVíctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
DECam