An interpretation of the semicircular structure of the supernova remnant CTB-109

The supernova exploded at the boundary of a dense molecular cloud in a diffuse gas. The eastern half of the shock wave entered the diffuse gas and is now in the stage of adiabatic expansion, forming the observed semicircular remnant; the western half entered the dense cloud, moved at a much slower speed and is now in the pressure-driven snowplow phase, the radiation it emits is in the uv, and is completely absorbed by the interstellar gas along the line of sight.