Vela supernova remnant. True-colour optical image of the Vela supernova remnant in the constellation Vela. These thin strands of nebulosity are the remains of a star which ended its life in an enormous supernova explosion around 11,000 years ago. The remnant lies about 1000 light years from Earth, and covers an area of the sky almost 10 Moon widths across. Almost at the centre of this large shell of gas is pulsar 0833- 45, a rapidly spinning neutron star believed to be the surviving core of the original star. This image was produced by digitally combining photographs taken by the UK Schmidt Telescope in blue and red light.