What material eventually dominates the total mass of a supernova remnant as it ages significantly over thousands of years?
Answer
swept-up interstellar material
While the initial explosion flings out chemically rich stellar guts containing elements heavier than iron, as the supernova remnant expands over thousands of years, its mass composition shifts dramatically. The expanding shockwave sweeps up vast quantities of gas and dust already present in the interstellar medium (ISM). In older or middle-aged remnants, this ambient interstellar material begins to outmass the original stellar ejecta, becoming the dominant component of the visible structure. This transition in mass dominance fundamentally alters the physics governing the remnant's expansion and subsequent energy emission profile.
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What Is A Supernova Remnant (SNR)? - Physics Frontier - YouTube
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