Overview
- NASA released its longest-spanning Chandra video using observations from 2000, 2004, 2006, 2014 and 2025 to track Kepler’s remnant over a quarter century.
- Measurements show the fastest regions moving about 13.8 million mph (≈2% of light speed) while the slowest advance near 4 million mph (≈0.5%), reflecting differences in ambient gas.
- Researchers report the shock front has traveled roughly half a light-year over the 25-year interval, offering a direct record of the remnant’s evolution.
- The work, led by graduate student Jessye Gassel and presented at the 247th AAS meeting, examines a Type Ia remnant located about 17,000 light-years away in the Milky Way.
- The team emphasizes the value of continued monitoring as Chandra’s operational lifetime wanes, with proposed missions such as AXIS cited as potential successors.