Cassiopeia-A Supernova Remnant

clic for 36% size 1280 x 851 (313 kB)

clic here for 60% size 2134 x 1418 (620 kB)

 

About this Image

A supernova such as the one that resulted in Cassiopeia A is the explosive demise of a massive star that collapses under the weight of its own gravity. The collapsed star then blows its outer layers into space in an explosion that can briefly outshine its entire parent galaxy. Cas A is relatively young, estimated to be only about 340 years old.

The faint object in this deep image shows a great variety of colors produced by various emission spectra, yet it is not a good target to image in H-alpha light.

The distance to Cassiopeia-A is 10000 light years. North is to the up-right.

Checkout a Hubble image of this object: 1.
Checkout a Chandra X-ray image of this object: 2.

Below you see a crop on the center of the above image in 50/100% size.

Find here an animation showing the expansion of this object within the last 17 years (POSS2 data): animation

 

clic for 100% size 1436x851 (251 kB)

 


Technical Details
Optics

16" cassegrain in secondary focus at f/10

Mount MK-100 GEM
Camera SBIG STL-11000M at -25C, internal filter wheel
Filters Baader LRGB
Date Oct 20 - Oct 21, 2008.
Location Wildon/Austria
Sky Conditions mag 5 sky, seeing 1.5-2", temperature 5-10 C
Exposure L:R:G:B = 240:100:100:100 minutes (10-minute sub-exposures),
Programs used Maxim DL 4.5;
CCDStack
Fitsliberator
Photoshop CS3