Zooming in on a light echo

This video sequence takes the viewer into the nearby starburst galaxy Messier 82, where a shell of light surrounding an exploding star is moving through interstellar space. The light was emitted from the supernova SN 2014J, which was first observed in January 2014. Nearly three years later, light from the blast can still be seen reverberating off of interstellar dust clouds — an effect called a light echo.

The sequence begins with the constellation Ursa Major, where the Messier 82 galaxy resides. Then the view zooms up on the cigar-shaped Messier 82 galaxy. Moving inside Messier 82, the video ends with a shell of light expanding outward from the supernova blast and is repeated several times.