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Beauties of the Universe


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The Ultimate Fireworks:

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          In this picture, we see the death-throes of a long-dead star. A star’s core is an environment with pressure and temperatures sufficient to ignite nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is a process where atoms are fused into heavier elements, releasing enormous amounts of energy. A star maintains stability between nuclear fusion and gravity with a delicate balance of nature, so vital to our existence. Hydrogen nuclei are fused into Helium, Helium to Lithium, Lithium to Beryllium, and so on down the periodic table until a critical point. After Iron, the fusion process loses efficiency, disrupting the delicate balance between gravity and nuclear fusion. In a fraction of a second, the star implodes, sometimes reaching 25% the speed of light in a spectacular supernova. The energy released from the collapse jets out the star's outer layers - dumping millions of tons of heavy elements into the cosmos. These fireworks often outshine the entire galaxy they live in. 


A New Chapter:
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          In this picture, we see gas clouds shaped by the ferocious solar wind. Structures like these form from the remnants of countless ancient supernovae who sacrificed their elements and energy. While staring into the core of this nebula, you are seeing heavy elements coalescing into pockets of high density. The heaviest among them can be classified as protostars, kick-starting the life-cycle once again. Once these protostars reach critical pressure, nuclear fusion is again ignited. A new generation of stars are born, each hosting a variety of orbiting planets. I derive a deep sense of connectivity from the fact that every atom other than Hydrogen in your body was forged in the core of long-dead stars. Thanks to these stars, the universe is a fertile environment, brimming with the key ingredients for life. This gives me an almost spiritual sense of harmony with nature. Not only are we in the universe, but the universe is in us.


A Snapshot in Time

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          Galaxies are some of the most awe-inspiring and grandiose objects nature has to offer. The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), seen above, is nearly 23 million light-years from Earth. The light emitted by this galaxy endured 31,000 millennia  of a journey across space and through time before coming to a rest on my sensor. When staring into this image, you see a freeze-frame of many million interstellar collisions and explosions, birthing new generations of stars to replace them. You are seeing planets evolving, enormous gas clouds coalescing, black holes devouring, and potentially even civilizations happily living without ever knowing of human existence. When staring into the heart of this galaxy, you glimpse into the life of countless solar systems. You are witnessing cosmic evolution at the most colossal scale -  It is a snapshot in time

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Your description of the M27 dumbbell nebula is incorrect. This is not a supernova remnant as you describe but a planetary nebula, a  star not massive enough to produce a supernova which after the red giant phase has shed its outer layers in powerful stellar winds leaving the hot, though no longer energy producing core, a white dwarf which illuminates the surrounding gas with UV photons exciting it to glow in emission lines specific to the elements in the gas.

M1 the crab nebula with a pulsar, a spinning neutron star at its centre is a good example of a supernova remnant produced when a massive star explodes

Cheers

Robin

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