# @nasa on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/j7XYUiIaGr
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11739585-nasa-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/9b90405731.jpg
- **Posted:** 2014-02-02T20:45:18.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA (@NASA) — https://gondola.cc/NASA

## Caption

It’s #SupernovaSunday, and like a veteran player during the big game, there’s a lot to learn from aged supernova remnants. This image combines data from four different space telescopes to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of the oldest documented example of a supernova, called RCW 86. The Chinese witnessed the event in 185 A.D., documenting a mysterious "guest star" that remained in the sky for eight months.

By studying the X-ray and infrared data together, astronomers were able to determine that the cause of the explosion witnessed nearly 2,000 years ago was a Type Ia supernova, in which an otherwise-stable white dwarf, or dead star, was pushed beyond the brink of stability when a companion star dumped material onto it. Furthermore, scientists used the data to solve another mystery surrounding the remnant -- how it got to be so large in such a short amount of time. By blowing a wind prior to exploding, the white dwarf was able to clear out a huge "cavity," a region of very low-density surrounding the system. The explosion into this cavity was able to expand much faster than it otherwise would have. 
RCW 86 is approximately 8,000 light-years away. At about 85 light-years in diameter, it occupies a region of the sky in the southern constellation of Circinus that is slightly larger than the full moon. 
Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO & ESA; Infared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/B. Williams (NCSU) 
#nasa #space #astronomy #superbowl #sb48 #superbowlxlviii #metlife #meadowlands #sports #nfl #supernova #stars #chandra #spitzer #biggame

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## Tags

nasa, space, spitzer, superbowlxlviii, nfl, superbowl, meadowlands, biggame, sports, metlife, supernova, supernovasunday, chandra, sb48, stars, astronomy

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