> The light from the light echo left the star several hundred or
> thousands of years PRIOR to the supernova explosion. This light is merely
> reflection.
OK, then if that is the case, how do we know the diameter of the outer
ring? And why did the outer (and inner) ring only show up in February,
1988?
The light from the inner ring is not actually quite the same as
> a light echo. it is radiation from a heated body of gas. The gas in the
> inner ring was heated by x-rays from the supernova. Now, it glows on its
> own, which is why it is so much brighter than the light echo.
OK, so you're saying the inner ring has a radius of 1 light year because
its "radiation echo" is 1 year behind the explosion and first sighting
of the direct straight-line path of light from the explosion? Is that
right?
Bill