Going Supernova

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES

03.28.2011

Courtesy Photo

NASA

While searching the skies for black holes using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers discovered a giant supernova that was smothered in its own dust. In this artist's rendering, an outer shell of gas and dust -- which erupted from the star hundreds of years ago -- obscures the supernova within. This event in a distant galaxy hints at one possible future for the brightest star system in our own Milky Way. Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA Identifier: 510097main_PIA13478

• Date Taken: 03.28.2011
• Date Posted: 02.08.2013 08:26
• Photo ID: 841416
• Resolution: 3872x2592
• Size: 685.66 KB
• Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., US