Sophisticated computational models let us examine objects such as supernova remnants in extraordinary detail and from every angle.
The supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, as captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The X-ray (blue), optical (red and white), and infrared (red, green, and blue) data reveal clouds and filaments of gas expelled by the supernova. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Milisavljevic et al., NASA/JPL/CalTech; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt and K. Arcand
With great, powerful space telescopes come great, powerful computational models. Astronomers have combined X-ray, optical, and infrared data from observatories including NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescopic Array to create a new collection of 3D models: one of a young star and three of supernova remnants.
The video shows the new 3D model of Cas A, also viewed in X-ray, optical, and infrared wavelengths. Here the gas, colored purple, appears as a flat disk, while tendrils of debris give the remnant a lopsided, bulbous look similar to a head of broccoli. The feature that has been artificially “pulled out” to hover over the remnant is nicknamed the Green Monster, a strange feature first spotted with Webb. Astronomers believe the Green Monster is associated with the initial shock wave from the star’s explosion, which bashed up against the rest of the star’s material during the blast.
The model builds upon previous work led by Salvatore Orlando at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics in Palermo, Italy, and published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The team’s simulations allowed them to run Cas A forward in time, starting with the blast that caused it and ending with its modern-day appearance as a relatively young supernova remnant. Supernovae are responsible for seeding the galaxy with the makings of new stars, as the innards of the progenitor star eventually mix with surrounding interstellar material, which then often seeds future star formation. So, observing and modeling young remnants like Cas A is crucial to understanding the physical processes behind these events and the major role they play in the evolution of galaxies.
