Chandra Observatory Captures Two Supernovas in (Slow) Motion

beautiful. nasa is a treasure.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has been recording the roiling aftermath of two mighty supernova explosions that occurred hundreds of years ago. Astronomers combined Chandra's X-ray images into videos that document the evolution of two astrophysical landmarks: the Crab nebula and Cassiopeia A. The videos show twisting, drifting ribbons of the remains of the star being churned by shock waves and illuminated by radiation from the dense, spinning cores left behind.