A Star's Gentle Death (IMAGE)
Caption
The three panels represent moments before, during, and after the faint supernova iPTF14gqr, visible in the middle panel, appeared in the outskirts of a spiral galaxy located 920 million light years away. The massive star that died in the supernova left behind a neutron star in a very tight binary system. These dense stellar remnants will ultimately spiral into each other and merge in a spectacular explosion, giving off gravitational and electromagnetic waves.
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt
Usage Restrictions
MUST USE WITH IMAGE CREDIT
License
Licensed content