Celestial Fireworks

This supernova remnant looks remarkably like a spectacular fireworks display!

The original stellar explosion was observed from Earth in 1181 and recorded as a “guest star” by Chinese, Japanese, and Arab astronomers. It remained visible in the night sky for nearly six months before fading from view.

Also hard to believe that this supernova remnant was only discovered as recently as 2013, and by an amateur astronomer while exploring images taken by a NASA infrared space telescope WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer).

This is only the fifth confirmed supernova remnant linked to a recorded sighting made before the invention of the telescope. Unlike the other four, this one was likely triggered by the merger of two white dwarfs, an exotic event much rarer than those that produce typical supernovae.

In other space news, JAXA (Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency) successfully launched their MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission this past week.

The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Mars next August to study its two mysterious little moons, Phobos and Deimos, eventually landing on Phobos and hopefully returning samples to Earth in 2031.

And NASA has scheduled spacewalks for this coming Thursday, October 29, and the following Thursday, November 5, 2026. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk will install new solar panels recently delivered to the ISS on a SpaceX Cargo Dragon. As always, you can watch these livestreamed on NASA’s website, YouTube channel, and NASA+ streaming service.