Overview
- Released Jan 6–7, 2026, the video is Chandra’s longest-spanning yet, built from X-ray observations in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2014, and 2025 alongside Pan‑STARRS optical data.
- Analysis finds shock speeds of about 13.8 million mph toward the bottom of the remnant and roughly 4 million mph toward the top, reflecting a density contrast in the ambient gas.
- Kepler’s Supernova Remnant sits about 17,000 light-years away in the Milky Way and stems from a Type Ia explosion of a white dwarf.
- Researchers also measured the widths of the blast-wave rims to probe the explosion’s physics and the remnant’s environment.
- The study was led by Jessye Gassel of George Mason University and presented at the American Astronomical Society’s 247th meeting, with NASA’s Brian Williams highlighting the broader importance of such explosions.