Supernova
RX J1713.7-3946 (SNR G347.3-0.5)
Supernova remnant
The shock wave of a supernova expanding at thousands of kilometres per second: it sweeps up and heats the interstellar gas and shines in radio waves.
| Type | Supernova |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Distance | 1,000 pc (3.3 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 56.8 ly |
| Type | Shell type ? |
| Radio flux (1 GHz) | 30 Jy |
| Source | Green's SNR Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 13m 50.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −39° 45′ 00″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 50° N. South of latitude 50° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 1237 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 58 million years.