Supernova
Vela (SNR G263.9-3.3)
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 | Vela |
| Distance | 287 pc (936.1 ly) |
| Diameter | 69.1 ly |
| Type | Composite (shell + pulsar wind nebula) |
| Radio flux (1 GHz) | 1,750 Jy |
| Source | Green's SNR Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 33m 60.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −45° 49′ 59″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 44° N. South of latitude 44° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1090. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 17 million years.