Supernova remnant
The Vela Supernova Remnant
Also Vela SNR · Gum 16
The vast, tangled cloud left by a star that exploded in Vela, with the Vela pulsar at its heart.
Measured
- Distance
- about 936 light-years (published estimates 880–998)
- Size
- about 130 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Vela
- Position (J2000)
- RA 8h 35m 21s, Dec −45.18°
How far, from the Sun
About 936 light-years. To cross it:
- Light936 years
- Voyager 1's speed16.6 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h10.1 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- The star exploded about 11,000 years ago, judging by the age of its pulsar.
- It is one of the closest known supernova remnants, about 940 light years away.
- It spans about 8 degrees of sky, 16 times the width of the full Moon.
Where this comes from
- Dodson et al. 2003, VLBI parallax of the Vela pulsar (287 +19/−17 pc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.