Intergalactic Explosions
 

[B][B][CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Arial"][FONT="Arial Black"][SIZE="5"]Intergalactic Explosions[/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/B]


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_eta_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


[B]The star Eta Carinae is estimated to be 100 times heftier than the sun and may also turn out to be one of the shortest-lived. This Hubble telescope image of Eta Carinae shows a huge, billowing pair of gas and dust clouds, produced by a giant eruption about 160 years ago. Though the star released as much visible light as a supernova explosion, it survived the eruption.
(N.Smith & J.Morse/NASA ) [/B]


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_chandra_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


Supernova 1987A is the remnant of an exploded star in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy 160,000 light years from Earth. This image shows the effects of a powerful shock wave moving away from the explosion.
(NASA/CXC/PSU/S.Park & D.Burrows.; Optical: NASA/STScI/CfA/P.Challis)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_bow_tie_080523_ssh.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


The planetary nebula NGC 2440 has an intriguing bow-tie shape in this stunning view from space. The nebula is composed of material cast off by a dying sun-like star as it enters its white dwarf phase of evolution.
(K. Noll /ESA/NASA )


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_monoceros_080523_ssh.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


The remnants (a bubble of gas) after an old star exploded in the Monoceros constellation.
(NASA)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_chandra2_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


This image shows a Crab Nebula. The neutron star, which has the mass equivalent to the sun crammed into a rapidly spinning ball of neutrons 12 miles across, is the bright white dot in the center of the image.
(NASA)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_star_080523_ssh.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

In December 2004, a neutron star flared up so brightly it temporarily blinded all the X-ray satellites in space and lit up the night sky. Objects like this are called magnetars, and they produce magnetic fields trillions of time more powerful than those here on Earth.
(NASA )

[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_eskimo_080523_ssh.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

A wonderful explosion of color is what's left as an old star dies leaving a central tiny, hot, White Dwarf and several layers of exploding gas.
(NASA )

[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_chandra3_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


Chandra has captured the glowing shell created by the destruction of a massive star. The supernova remnant, known as N63A, is located in the nearby galaxy of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
(NASA/CXC/Rutgers/J.Warren et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/U. Ill/Y.Chu; Radio: ATCA/U. Ill/J.Dickel et al)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_Cassiopeia_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the scattered remains of an exploded star named Cassiopeia A.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Minn.)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_n49_080523_ssh.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


Scattered debris from a cosmic supernova explosion known as N49 lights up the sky in this gorgeous composite image based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope. The cause of the March 5 Event is attributed to a magnetar -- a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star that hurtles through the supernova debris cloud at more than 1,200 kilometers per second.
(Hubble Heritage Team)


[CENTER][IMG]http://a.abcnews.com/images/Technology/ht_gemini_080523_ssv.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]


These illustrations show the view from afar of an exploding star. In the third image, we see two jets shooting away from the collision site. These jets are where the gamma rays are emitted.
(Dana Berry/NASA)[/B]

[url]http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup?id=4919415&contentIndex=1&start=false&page=1[/url]