This breathtaking image of the Veil Nebula or Cygnus Loop was taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. It showcases the stunning beauty of this celestial phenomenon, which is located in the constellation Cygnus. To capture this vibrant image, the Hubble telescope utilized its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, employing five different filters. Through advanced post-processing techniques, the details of emissions from doubly ionized oxygen (depicted in shades of blue), ionized hydrogen, and ionized nitrogen (displayed in shades of red) have been further enhanced.
Discovering the Mysteries of Stellar Explosions with INFUSE
A groundbreaking rocket mission called INFUSE (Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment) is set to launch into space. This innovative mission aims to unravel the enigmatic nature of stellar explosions and their role in the creation of new celestial bodies. INFUSE combines imaging and spectroscopy in a unique instrument, providing comprehensive insights into these explosive events that shape the universe.
The Cygnus Loop: A Mesmerizing Celestial Phenomenon
During certain months each year, the constellation Cygnus, known as the “swan” in Latin, graces the night sky of the northern hemisphere. Located just above the swan’s wing is a captivating feature that captivates both amateur stargazers and professional scientists—the Cygnus Loop or Veil Nebula.
This illustration showcases the magnificence of the constellation Cygnus, with the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant (also known as the Veil Nebula) located near one of the swan’s wings, denoted by the rectangular box.
The Explosive Origins of the Cygnus Loop
The Cygnus Loop is the aftermath of a colossal star that once boasted a size 20 times larger than our Sun. Approximately 20,000 years ago, this star collapsed under the force of its own gravity and erupted into a supernova. Despite being situated 2,600 light-years away, the resulting explosion would have emitted a dazzling light visible even during daylight hours on Earth.
Supernovae: The Architects of Galaxies
Supernovae play a vital role in the grand life cycle of galaxies. These cosmic events scatter heavy metals forged within the core of a star into the surrounding dust and gas clouds. They encompass the genesis of all chemical elements heavier than iron found in our universe, including those that compose our bodies. The remnants and particles ejected by supernovae eventually coalesce to form stars, planets, and entire star systems.
“Supernovae, like the one that created the Cygnus Loop, profoundly influence the formation of galaxies,” explained Brian Fleming, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and principal investigator for the INFUSE mission.
Unveiling Supernova Dynamics
The Cygnus Loop provides us with a rare opportunity to witness an ongoing supernova explosion. This massive cloud, with a diameter over 120 light-years, is continuously expanding at a remarkable speed of approximately 930,000 miles per hour (about 1.5 million kilometers per hour).
When observing the Cygnus Loop, our telescopes do not capture the actual supernova explosion but rather the heated dust and gas stimulated by the shock front. As this material cools down, it emits a resplendent glow.
“INFUSE will observe the mechanism through which the supernova transfers energy into the Milky Way. It will capture the light emitted as the blast wave collides with pockets of cold gas dispersed throughout the galaxy,” added Fleming.
Innovative Instrumentation: INFUSE
To observe this scorching shock front, Fleming and his team have developed a telescope equipped to measure far-ultraviolet light. This type of light is too energetic for human eyes to perceive. However, it allows scientists to study gas at temperatures ranging from 90,000 to 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 50,000 to 300,000 degrees Celsius) that remains sizzling after the impact.
INFUSE is an integral field spectrograph, serving as the first instrument of its kind to venture into space. It leverages the strengths of both imaging and spectroscopy techniques. Traditional telescopes excel at capturing images, visually representing the sources of light and their spatial arrangements. However, they do not separate light into distinct wavelengths or “colors,” resulting in overlapping wavelengths in the final images.
In contrast, spectroscopy dissects a single beam of light into its component wavelengths, just as a prism unveils the rainbow spectrum. This process unveils crucial information about the light source, including its composition, temperature, and motion. Nevertheless, spectroscopy is limited to observing one narrow segment of light at a time, akin to peering at the night sky through a narrow keyhole.
Assembling the INFUSE instrument required delicate installation skills, such as incorporating the image slicer—the core optical technology for INFUSE—into its mount in a CU-LASP clean room. Credit: CU Boulder LASP/Brian Fleming
The INFUSE instrument captures an image and subsequently slices it into multiple segments, which are then aligned to form one expansive “keyhole.” The spectrometer can disperse each slice to reveal its spectrum. These data can be reconstructed into a 3-dimensional image, known as a “data cube,” resembling a stack of images where each layer represents a specific wavelength of light.
Implications and Future Prospects
By utilizing the INFUSE data, Fleming and his team can not only identify individual elements and their temperatures but also understand their locations along the shock front.
“It is an immensely exciting project to be part of,” expressed lead graduate student Emily Witt, also affiliated with CU Boulder. Witt spearheaded the assembly and testing of INFUSE and will lead the subsequent data analysis. “With these unprecedented measurements, we will garner a deeper comprehension of how supernova elements coalesce with the surrounding environment. This represents a significant milestone in unraveling the process through which supernova material becomes an integral part of celestial bodies, including planets like Earth and organisms like us.”
To embark on its space journey, the INFUSE payload will be launched aboard a sounding rocket. These agile, unmanned rockets soar into space for a brief period, enabling data collection before descending back to Earth. The INFUSE payload will travel aboard a two-stage Black Brant 9 sounding rocket, aiming to reach a peak altitude of roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers). At this altitude, it will conduct its observations before descending via parachute for recovery. The team aspires to refine the instrument and launch subsequent missions. Interestingly, certain components of the INFUSE rocket have been repurposed from the DEUCE mission, which was launched from Australia in 2022.
NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program is conducted at the Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Heliophysics Division at NASA oversees the sounding rocket program. The development of the INFUSE payload received support from NASA’s Astrophysics Division.
