A little bit of Space Pr0n for you

Exploding white dwarf star, called a Type 1A Supernova, first observed by astronomer Tycho Brahe in 1572. Image courtesy of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

So beautiful, isn't it?

In 1572, astronomer Tycho Brahe noticed a new, very bright star had appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia, and this is what we see of it today. In fact, it was not a new star, but the explosion of a star which had originally been too faint to see with the naked eye. And now, thanks to the wonders of technology, we get to use it as a desktop background. Yay science!