How do supernova remnants heat the gas between stars?
This nebula is the product of a supernova explosion; in this section, the blast wave has encountered an area of dense interstellar gas, creating turbulence in the wave and causing it to glow. The picture is a composite of three images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Supernova remnants are a primary source of heating for interstellar gas, playing a vital role in the structure of galaxies. They achieve this heating primarily through the generation of magnetic turbulence and violent shock waves as the debris from the explosion expands into the surrounding medium.1
These strong shock waves propagate through the interstellar gas, compressing it and creating filaments of material. In the early stages of a supernova remnant's evolution, the gas is shocked and heated to millions of kelvins. As the remnant expands and interacts with the interstellar medium, these processes continue to transfer energy, effectively heating the gas between stars.1