The dramatic explosion of a type Ia supernova

3D Model

The model is the output of a 3D magneto-hydrodynamic simulation which describes a type Ia supernova, a powerful and bright explosion of a white dwarf star at the end of its life. The scene shows the ball of fiery-looking stellar debris and heavy elements shooted into the interstellar medium with speeds of tens of thousands of km/s. The material is heated up to temperatures of several tens of millions of degrees. The stellar debris is clipped to allow easy inspection of the interior of the supernova remnant.

MHD simulation performed with the FLASH code.

Reference: Orlando et al. 2012, ApJ 749, id. 156.

Credits: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo.