Nebulae
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Fine Details of the Vela Supernova Remnant
This image shows a deep high resolution view of the delicate glowing filaments in the Vela Supernova Remnant located in the southern constellation Vela (the Sails).
The area photographed is a mosaic of two fields, but still covering only a very small portion of the large nebula; 61 x 42 arc-minutes or roughly two-thirds of a square degree.
The bright colours are due to emission from ionised hydrogen and oxygen atoms, energised by the light from nearby stars. Orange-red nebulosity corresponds to H-Alpha emission, and the blue areas are OIII.
The Vela Supernova Remnant is one of the closest such nebulae known, lying at a distance of approximately 800 light years. It originated from a Type II supernova explosion that occurred between 11,000 and 12,300 years ago. The explosion left behind the Vela Pulsar (outside this field of view) which spins once every 89.33 milliseconds. The glowing gas remnants from the supernova explosion is estimated to be travelling outwards at 1,200 km/s.
Image details:
Date: March to May 2021
Exposure (Field A): H-Alpha 480 mins, OIII 480 mins
Exposure (Field B): H-Alpha 510 mins, OIII 510 mins
Total 33 hours @ -25C
Telescope: Homebuilt 12.5" f/4 Serrurier Truss Newtonian
Camera: QSI 683wsg with Lodestar guider
Filters: Astrodon 3nm Ha/OIII
Taken from my observatory in Auckland, New Zealand
