Bill Richards
Well-Known Member
A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…
About 40 million years ago, in a galaxy known as NGC 7331, a very large star (at least 8 times larger than our sun) exhausted enough of its nuclear fuel that the energetic pressure from the fusion process could no longer counter the immense gravitational pull of its own mass. The star’s core collapsed in upon itself, resulting in one of the most energetic explosions in the universe. The light from that supernova explosion is just now reaching Earth and can be seen as a very bright spot in the photo below, not far from the center of the galaxy. The light from this supernova is actually brighter than the galactic core! See the second image for an annotated close-up.
You can see many other distant galaxies in this image as well.
The supernova explosion created an enormous shock wave, blasting the star’s outer layers into space. The tremendous pressure of that shockwave is what creates ~80% of the elements heavier than iron. That material continues to expand through space, compressing interstellar gases, acting as a catalyst of new star (and solar system) formation. The remnants of the original star – if any – became either a black hole or a neutron star.
This is the result of over 6 hours of exposure time taken on 2025-07-27.
Equipment and Software:
=======================
Mount: 10Micron GM1000HPS w/PoleMaster
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8 w/0.7x focal reducer
Auto-Focuser: Rigel Systems nFOCUS
Imaging Camera: ASI2600MC-Pro
Guide Camera: ASI174MM-Mini on OAG
Imaging S/W: NINA
Guiding S/W: PHD2
Image Processing S/W: PixInsight
Exposure Details:
=================
Camera Temperature -15C
Bias: 50
Gain: 100
74 x 5s
Plus 32x Darks, Flats, and Dark Flats
#NGC7331 #supernova #amateurastrophotography #asi2600mc #asiweek #astronomy #astronomydaily #astronomymagazine #astromaniacmag #astronomyphotography #astronomypicturesdaily #astrophotography #cosmos #deepsky #deepskyobject #galaxy #longexposure #nasa #nightphotography #nightsky #outerspace #photography #science #skyandtelescopemag #space #spacephotography #stargazing #stars #telescope #universe
About 40 million years ago, in a galaxy known as NGC 7331, a very large star (at least 8 times larger than our sun) exhausted enough of its nuclear fuel that the energetic pressure from the fusion process could no longer counter the immense gravitational pull of its own mass. The star’s core collapsed in upon itself, resulting in one of the most energetic explosions in the universe. The light from that supernova explosion is just now reaching Earth and can be seen as a very bright spot in the photo below, not far from the center of the galaxy. The light from this supernova is actually brighter than the galactic core! See the second image for an annotated close-up.
You can see many other distant galaxies in this image as well.
The supernova explosion created an enormous shock wave, blasting the star’s outer layers into space. The tremendous pressure of that shockwave is what creates ~80% of the elements heavier than iron. That material continues to expand through space, compressing interstellar gases, acting as a catalyst of new star (and solar system) formation. The remnants of the original star – if any – became either a black hole or a neutron star.
This is the result of over 6 hours of exposure time taken on 2025-07-27.
Equipment and Software:
=======================
Mount: 10Micron GM1000HPS w/PoleMaster
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8 w/0.7x focal reducer
Auto-Focuser: Rigel Systems nFOCUS
Imaging Camera: ASI2600MC-Pro
Guide Camera: ASI174MM-Mini on OAG
Imaging S/W: NINA
Guiding S/W: PHD2
Image Processing S/W: PixInsight
Exposure Details:
=================
Camera Temperature -15C
Bias: 50
Gain: 100
74 x 5s
Plus 32x Darks, Flats, and Dark Flats
#NGC7331 #supernova #amateurastrophotography #asi2600mc #asiweek #astronomy #astronomydaily #astronomymagazine #astromaniacmag #astronomyphotography #astronomypicturesdaily #astrophotography #cosmos #deepsky #deepskyobject #galaxy #longexposure #nasa #nightphotography #nightsky #outerspace #photography #science #skyandtelescopemag #space #spacephotography #stargazing #stars #telescope #universe
