NASA Astronomers Solve Mystery Of "Green Monster", Shares Supernova Remnant Pic

NASA: A recent study unveils that the peculiar green light resembling a Grinch, known as the Green Monster and initially observed last year weaving through the illuminated remnants of a supernova, is associated with a blast wave at the periphery of the debris field, Space.com reported. 

In April of last year, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of the atypical "emission wall" situated before Cassiopeia A (Cas A), an expanding shell of heated gas located approximately 11,000 light-years away from Earth. The light from Cas A, which reached us 340 years ago, has intrigued astronomers over the past year as they seek to comprehend the origin and existence of this phenomenon within the extensively studied supernova remnant.

Presented on Monday (January 8) at the American Astronomical Society conference in New Orleans, the latest image leverages the observational capabilities of Webb along with NASA's Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra space telescopes to showcase Cassiopeia A (Cas A) with unparalleled clarity. The luminous sphere, spanning 10 light-years, displays a captivating interplay of red clouds, indicative of dust likely warmed within gas heated to millions of degrees. Scattered white, green, and orange light streaks throughout create a cosmically intricate and breathtaking perspective of the celestial remnants.

A new composite image contains X-rays from Chandra (blue), infrared data from Webb (red, green, blue), and optical data from Hubble (red and white). The outer parts of the image also include infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red, green and blue). The outline of the Green Monster can be seen in the second image of the carousel, NASA said in a press release.

The picture of the "Green Monster" was also posted on Instagram, with the caption, "In April 2023, @NASAWebb infrared data detected an unusual structure. It was dubbed the "Green Monster" because it resembled the wall in the left field of Fenway Park. However, by combining the Webb data with X-rays from @NASAChandraXray, researchers think they have hunted down the source of the Green Monster."

"When a massive star exploded to create Cassiopeia A (aka Cas A) about 340 years ago, from Earth's perspective, it created a ball of matter and light that expanded outward. Chandra sees the debris from the star because it is heated to tens of millions of degrees by shock waves, akin to sonic booms from a supersonic plane. Webb can see some material that has not been affected by shock waves, called "pristine" debris. Much of this lies behind the Green Monster. The combination of Webb and Chandra data therefore gives a better idea of the total debris from the exploded star," the caption further read. 

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Detailed analysis by the researchers found that filaments in the outer part of Cas A, from the blast wave, closely matched the X-ray properties of the Green Monster, including less iron and silicon than in the supernova debris, NASA said in a release.

Chandra sees the debris from the explosion because it is heated to tens of millions of degrees by shock waves, akin to sonic booms from a supersonic plane. Webb can see some material that has not been affected by shock waves, called "pristine" debris.