The Gum Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima
Explanation: Because the Gum Nebula is the closest supernova remnant, it is actually hard to see. Spanning 40 degrees across the sky, the nebula appears so large and faint that it is easily lost in the din of a bright and complex background. The Gum Nebula is highlighted nicely in red emission toward the right of the featured wide-angle, single-image photograph taken in late May. Also visible in the frame are the Atacama Desert in Chile in the foreground, the Carina Nebula in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy running diagonally down from the upper left, and the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy. The Gum Nebula is so close that we are much nearer the front edge than the back edge, each measuring 450 and 1500 light years respectively. The complicated nebula lies in the direction of the constellations of Puppis and Vela. Oddly, much remains unknown about the Gum Nebula, including the timing and even number of supernova explosions that formed it.
Tomorrow’s picture: open space
超新星遗迹: 甘姆星云
图像提供与版权: Victor Lima
说明: 因为甘姆星云（Gum Nebula）是离地球最近的超新星遗迹，我们反而不容易看到它。虽然甘姆星云在天空的跨幅足足有40度，不过它既大又暗淡，所以往往消失在明亮喧嚣的背景里。不过，这幅广角单曝光主题图像，精彩的突显了图像右侧甘姆星云的泛红辐射。此外在视野里，还可见到图像前景的智利阿塔卡玛沙漠，斜贯过上左方的银河系内之船底座星云，以及邻近的大麦哲伦星系（LMC）。甘姆星云非常邻近，其前缘及后缘分别距离我们450光年和1500光年远。这个复杂的星云位在南天的船尾座和船帆座方向。怪异的是，甘姆星云仍有许多未知之处，包括超新星爆炸的确切时间，以及到底发生过几次超新星爆炸才形成这个星云。
明日的图片: open space
