Vela Supernova Remnant

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About this Image

About 11,000 years ago, a fantastic stellar explosion took place relatively nearby our place in the galaxy. It's glowing aftermath covering an area of nearly 40 degree partly is captured in this 10 degree wide image.

Today, we can still see the remains of the conflagration as the Vela Supernova Remnant. It is located within the Gum Nebula, itself the result of an earlier star detonation. The remnant is in the southern constellation of Vela, about 1,300 light years distant.
The 2 bright round areas in the lower part of the image are RCW 27 (Gum 14) to the left and RCW 33(Gum 17) to the right.

Like in the Veil Nebula the waves of ionized Hydrogen gas (red) and Oyxgen gas (cyan) have travelled at different velocity and appear seperated. At the heart of the remnant there glows a pulsar, the core of the star that exploded. It spins at over ten times per second and is a source of intense X-ray radiation.
At the top of the image at 1h a part of the Pencil Nebula can be seen.

References:
Vela Pulsar: 1.
Overview Gum Nebula: 2.
Basic Vela-SNR information: 3.
North is down.


Technical Details
Optics

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L lens at f/3.5

Mount AP-400 GEM
Camera SBIG STL-11000M at -20C, internal filter wheel
Filters Astronomik Ha-O3-B
Date May 25+31, 2006.
Location Hakos/Namibia
Sky Conditions mag 7 sky, high transparency, temperature 12-14 C,
Exposure Ha:O3:B= 120:60:20 min (30 (Ha, O3) 10 (B) minute sub-exposures)
all 1x1.
Processing Image aquisition and calibration in Maxim DL 4.15; Ha=R, O3=G+B, B=B combine;
Photoshop: curves, color balance;