Nasa has produced an image showing Tycho's Supernova. The red circle visible in the upper left part of the image, called SN 1572 is a remnant of a star explosion and named after the astronomer Tycho Brahe, although he was not the only person to observe and record the supernova.

When the supernova first appeared in November 1572, it was as bright as Venus and could be seen in the daytime.

Over the next two years, the supernova dimmed until it could no longer be seen with the naked eye. When the star exploded, it sent out a blast wave into the surrounding material, scooping up interstellar dust and gas as it went, like a snow plow.

An expanding shock wave travelled into the surroundings and a reverse shock was driven back in towards the remnants of the star. To the right Nasa recorded a star-forming nebula of dust and gas, called S175.

This cloud of material is about 3,500 light-years away and 35 light-years across. It is heated by radiation from the young, hot stars within it, and the dust within the cloud radiates infrared light.