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Back The site of the Supernova 1993J explosion (composite)

The site of the Supernova 1993J explosion (composite)


Date: 06 January 2004
Satellite: Hubble
Depicts: M81, Supernova 1993J
Copyright: Credit: ESA and Justyn R. Maund (University of Cambridge)

A virtual journey into one of the spiral arms of the grand spiral Messier 81 (imaged with the Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma, left) reveals the superb razor-sharp imaging power of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (Hubble's WFPC2 instrument, below). The close-up (with Hubble's ACS, to the right) is centred on the newly discovered companion star to Supernova 1993J that itself is no longer visible. The quarter-circle around the supernova companion is a so-called light echo originating from sheets of dust in the galaxy reflecting light from the original supernova explosion.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
22-Jan-2026 20:21 UT

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