SN 1572, Tycho's Supernova, Composite X-Ray
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This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.
Low and medium energy X-rays in red and green show expanding debris from the supernova explosion. High energy X-rays in blue reveal the blast wave, a shell of extremely energetic electrons. Also shown in the lower left region of Tycho is a blue arc of X-ray emission. Several lines of evidence support the conclusion that this arc is due to a shock wave created when a white dwarf exploded and blew material off the surface of a nearby companion star. SN 1572, B Cassiopeiae, or 3C 10, is a supernova of Type Ia in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of about eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records. The appearance of the Milky Way supernova of 1572 was perhaps one of the two or three most important events in the history of astronomy. The "new star" helped to revise ancient models of the heavens and to inaugurate a revolution in astronomy that began with the realized need to produce better astrometric star catalogues. Release date April 26, 2011.