Breathtaking photos of the DEM L 190: a cosmic fireworks display in detail (6 photos)

DEM L 190 is a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. This "cosmic fireworks display" resulted from the explosion of a massive star that occurred about 5,000 years ago relative to Earth.





DEM L 190 is located approximately 160,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado (The Dorado). The supernova remnant is 75 light-years across, nearly 18 times the distance from the Sun to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri.

The original mass of the dead star was at least 15 solar masses (some estimates put it at least 20). In a fraction of a second, it released as much energy as our Sun would produce in 10 billion years.

All images presented in this article were obtained by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

What do we see in the image?

The bright filaments and threads are shock waves compressing and heating the surrounding interstellar gas to temperatures of 10-20 million degrees Celsius.







Each color carries information about the chemical composition of the residue:

Blue - ionized oxygen and neon;

Orange - hydrogen;

Yellow - sulfur;

Red – cooler regions saturated with nitrogen.

The gas shell continues to expand at a rate of 300 to 500 kilometers per second, but this process is gradually slowing due to interactions with the interstellar medium.

The Mystery of the Magnetar

Located at the heart of DEM L 190 is one of the most exotic objects in the Universe – the magnetar SGR 0526−66. This neutron star is only about 20 kilometers in diameter, but has a mass comparable to the Sun! Furthermore, SGR 0526−66 has a magnetic field a trillion times stronger than Earth's.





This extreme object periodically emits powerful gamma-ray bursts. On March 5, 1979, one such burst reached the solar system and "struck" spacecraft equipped with gamma-ray detectors, temporarily "blinding" them.

Heavy Element Factory

A collapsing massive star, before going supernova, turns into a gigantic heavy element factory. In the final seconds of its life, the following are synthesized in its core and then ejected into space:

Iron and nickel – make up to 15% of the mass of stellar ejecta and will form the basis of the metallic cores of future planets;

Cobalt and manganese – rare metals with unique magnetic and catalytic properties;

Silicon and sulfur – form the rocky foundations of planets and their mineral composition;

Calcium and titanium – key components of strong minerals and alloys;

And many other elements – from copper and zinc to rare earth metals, without which scientific and technological progress, and indeed the existence of our modern civilization, is impossible.



Distant background stars appear red because the surrounding gas and dust absorb blue light more strongly than red. Mostly, the red part of the spectrum reaches us.

For most of these elements, the extreme conditions of a stellar explosion are the only way to come into being. Gradually mixing with interstellar gas and dust clouds, they become the building blocks for new generations of stars and planetary systems.

Evolution of the Remnant

The expansion rate of the supernova remnant will continue to decline, and in a maximum of 100,000 years, nothing will remain of all this beauty—it will completely "dissolve" into the interstellar medium.

However, the echoes of this event will reverberate throughout the universe for billions upon billions of years: interstellar gas enriched with heavy elements will give rise to new stars, planets, and perhaps even the emergence of life.

Read also:

How to send a probe to the stars? A new approach to interstellar travel.

A wandering star may have reshaped the early Solar System.

The giant star Zeta Ophiuchi, which is 65,000 times brighter than the Sun.