Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 May 28 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Martin Pugh Explanation: In 185 AD, [5]Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of a new star in the Nanmen asterism. That part of the sky is identified with Alpha and Beta Centauri on modern star charts. The new star was visible for months and is thought to be the earliest [6]recorded supernova. This deep image shows emission nebula RCW 86, understood to be the remnant of that stellar explosion. The narrowband data trace gas ionized by the still [7]expanding shock wave. [8]Space-based images indicate an abundance of the element iron and lack of a neutron star or pulsar [9]in the remnant, suggesting that the original supernova was Type Ia. [10]Unlike the core collapse supernova explosion of a massive star, a [11]Type Ia supernova is a thermonuclear [12]detonation on a a white dwarf star that accretes material from a companion in a binary star system. Near the plane of our [13]Milky Way galaxy and larger than a full moon on the sky this supernova remnant is too faint to be seen by eye though. RCW 86 is some 8,000 light-years distant and around 100 light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: a galaxy cluster forms __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC & [34]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2205/RCW86_MP.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/about 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astronomy 6. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0301603 7. https://arxiv.org/abs/1108.1207 8. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2011/rcw86/ 9. https://arxiv.org/abs/1108.1207 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060728.html 11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Ia_supernova 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110430.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110520.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220527.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220528 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220529.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/ 33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 34. http://www.mtu.edu/