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G1.9+0.3 Animations
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Zoom into G1.9+0.3
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Beginning with a wide-field look at the center of the Milky Way from the
Two Micron All Sky Survey, the view zooms into the Galactic Center
before panning about a thousand light years away to where G1.9+0.3 is
located. While most optical light is blocked by thick clouds of gas and
dust in this part of the Galaxy, X-ray and radio radiation can penetrate
them. A combination of data from Chandra and the VLA allowed for the
discovery of a recent supernova explosion that would have appeared in
the night sky during the late 19th century if it was unobscured.
[Runtime: 00:35]
(Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/NCSU/S.Reynolds et al.); Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA/
Cambridge/ D.Green et al.); Infrared (2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF/CfA/E.Bressert)
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Comparison of X-ray and Radio Images
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In order to determine the age of G1.9+0.3, astronomers needed to
track how quickly it is expanding. By comparing a radio image from
1985 to a Chandra image taken in 2007, scientists see the ring of
debris expand. The expansion rate was confirmed with another radio
observation with the VLA in 2008. The difference in size between
these images gives clear evidence for expansion, allowing the age of
the remnant and the time since the original supernova explosion
(about 140 years) to be estimated.
[Runtime: 00:35]
(Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/NCSU/S.Reynolds et al.); Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA/
Cambridge/D.Green et al.)
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Animation of G1.9+0.3
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This animation begins with a view of the Milky Way from above the
plane of the galaxy, where the Galactic center and bulge is unobscured by dust
and gas. The viewer then travels towards the center of the Galaxy and zooms
into the bright, crowded central bulge of the Milky Way, where a
supernova explosion occurs. The ejecta from the explosion rushes outwards where it
interacts with the gas surrounding the explosion, causing the
formation of a supernova remnant which shines brightly in X-rays and radio waves.
This is the scenario scientists envision occurred with G1.9+0.3
[Runtime: 00:23]
(Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart)
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Chandra Spacecraft Animation
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This artist's conception begins with the Chandra X-ray Observatory as
it passes in front of the Moon. Chandra, one of NASA's "Great
Observatories," does not orbit closely around the Earth. Instead, its
highly elliptical orbit takes as far as one-third the distance to the
Moon. Operating in space since 1999, Chandra detects and images X-ray
sources that lie within our Solar System to those billions of light
years away. The results from Chandra help explore high-energy
phenomena and provide insights into the Universe's structure and
evolution.
[Runtime: 00:31]
(Credit: NASA/CXC/D. Berry)
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Return to G1.9+0.3
(May 14, 2008)
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