Supernova remnant

A supernova remnant is the expanding gas and dust left by a stellar explosion, often surrounding a neutron star or black hole. It evolves as the ejecta interact with surrounding interstellar material.

Supernova ejecta: Material expelled by a star during a supernova explosion. The ejecta form the remnant’s expanding interior.
Crab Nebula: A supernova remnant in Taurus powered by the rapidly rotating Crab Pulsar. Its central pulsar and bright synchrotron nebula show how a compact object can energize a remnant.
Core-collapse supernova: A supernova caused by the collapse of the core of a massive star. These explosions often leave neutron stars or black holes inside their remnants.
Nucleosynthesis: The production of atomic nuclei through nuclear reactions in stars, explosions, and other astrophysical environments. Remnant spectra reveal elements forged or redistributed in the explosion.
Planetary nebula: An expanding shell of gas shed by a low- or intermediate-mass star near the end of its life. Unlike a supernova remnant, it forms through gradual envelope ejection rather than a stellar explosion.
Shock wave: A propagating disturbance that compresses and heats material when it travels faster than the local sound speed. Remnant shock waves heat surrounding gas and accelerate particles.
Cassiopeia A: A young, bright supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia. Its clumpy ejecta preserve evidence about the star’s explosion and chemical output.
Type Ia supernova: A thermonuclear explosion of a carbon–oxygen white dwarf in a binary system. Its remnant typically lacks the compact neutron-star engine common in core-collapse cases.
Galactic chemical evolution: The changing chemical composition of a galaxy as stars form, evolve, and return material to space. Remnants disperse supernova products that later become part of new stars and planets.
Nova remnant: Ejecta and surrounding material shaped by a classical nova eruption on a white dwarf. A nova remnant follows a surface thermonuclear eruption, not the destruction or collapse of a star.

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