Supernova remnant from a star collapse. Artwork (image 6 of 7) showing the supernova remnant following the collapse of a Wolf-Rayet star (a stage in t

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Supernova remnant from a star collapse. Artwork (image 6 of 7) showing the supernova remnant following the collapse of a Wolf-Rayet star (a stage in the evolution of a very massive star). The core of the Wolf-Rayet star has collapsed, forming a black hole surrounded by a disk of accreting matter. Within a few seconds, jets of matter are ejected at near the speed of light, shattering the star in a supernova event and generating a radiation burst. Over the course of many years, a supernova remnant of ejected material emerges (red). A shock wave (blue) is created by the expanding gases. Observations of a very energetic supernova, associated with a long gamma-ray burst (GRB 030329) in the constellation Leo on 29 March 2003, provide evidence for this collapsar model of the origin of some gamma-ray bursts.

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Size: 3603px × 2432px
Photo credit: © NASA/SkyWorks Digital/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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