The Cat’s Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula located in the Draco constellation. At its center is a dying star. Seen here is the faint halo that stretches 3 light-years Keep reading
Tag: shockwave
Interstellar Jets
This JWST image shows a couple of Herbig-Hero objects, seen in infrared. These bright objects form when jets of fast-moving energetic particles are expelled from the poles of a newborn Keep reading
Imaging a New Era of Supersonic Travel
Supersonic commercial travel was briefly possible in the twentieth century when the Concorde flew. But the window-rattling sonic boom of that aircraft made governments restrict supersonic travel over land. Now Keep reading
Tracking Tonga’s Boom
When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted in January 2022, its effects were felt — and heard — thousands of kilometers away. A new study analyzes crowdsourced data (largely from Keep reading
A Dandelion-Like Supernova Remnant
In 1181 CE, astronomers in China and Japan recorded a new, short-lived star in the constellation Cassiopeia. After burning for nearly six months, this historic supernova disappeared from the naked Keep reading
Gigapixel Supernova
Eleven thousand years ago, a star exploded in the constellation Vela, blowing off its outer layers in a spectacular shock wave that remains visible today. Today’s image is a piece Keep reading
Simeis 147
Sometimes known as the Spaghetti Nebula, Simeis 147 is the remnant of a supernova that occurred 40,000 years ago. The glowing filaments of this composite image show hydrogen and oxygen Keep reading
Lasers and Soap Films
Soap films are a great system for visualizing fluid flows. Researchers use them to look at flags, fish schooling and drafting, and even wind turbines. In this work, researchers explore Keep reading
Can Explosions Deflect Bullets?
In one of their most Mythbusters-like videos ever, the Slow Mo Guys ask: can an explosion deflect a bullet? To find out, they built out a system to trigger a Keep reading
Test Firing a Rocket Engine
Watching a rocket engine start up in slow motion is always fun. This Slow Mo Guys video shows a test fire of one of Firefly’s engines, which is capable of Keep reading