Space Universe🌌

Today Chandra is gazing at #galaxies in Centaurus. Nearby in the sky is planetary nebula Fleming 1, a glowing cloud of gas around 2 white dwarf stars. In the next 10,000 years or so, Fleming 1 will slowly disperse into #space. The stars will cool & fade away for billions of years.

💥The shock wave from the #supernova explosion that created remnant G306 is racing through #space at ~2.4 million km/h. Chandra data reveals iron, neon, silicon, and sulfur all at temperatures exceeding 28 million C. A reminder not only of the energies involved, but of the role supernovas play in seeding galaxies with heavy elements produced in the hearts of massive stars.🌟

🌟Planetary nebulas are expanding shells of gas produced by a dying #star as it sheds its outer layers. These jettisoned shells remain for a relatively short time in #cosmic terms — tens of thousands of years — before gradually dissipating into #space. Planetary nebula NGC 7027 is located about 2,900 light years from Earth.