Astronomy: Infrared echoes near the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

Oliver Krause, George H. Rieke, Stephan M. Birkmann, Emeric Le Floc'h, Karl D. Gordon, Eiichi Egami, John Bieging, John P. Hughes, Erick T. Young, Joannah L. Hinz, Sascha P. Quanz, Dean C. Hines

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Two images of Cassiopeia A obtained at 24 micrometers with the Spitzer Space Telescope over a 1-year time interval show moving structures outside the shell of the supernova remnant to a distance of more than 20 arc minutes. Individual features exhibit apparent motions of 10 to 20 arc seconds per year, independently confirmed by near-infrared observations. The observed tangential velocities are at roughly the speed of light. It is likely that the moving structures are infrared echoes, in which interstellar dust is heated by the explosion and by flares from the compact object near the center of the remnant.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1604-1606
Number of pages3
JournalScience
Volume308
Issue number5728
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 10 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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