2026ApJ...997L..36S

The distance to the Vela Junior supernova remnant (RX J0852.0-4622 or G266.2-1.2) has long remained uncertain, limiting our understanding of its physical properties. Using Very Large Telescope/Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer integral field spectroscopy, we uncover chemical and kinematic connections between the nebula surrounding its central compact object (CXOU J085201.4-461753) and the nearby Herbig-Haro outflow of Ve 7-27 (Wray 16-30), indicating a shared nitrogen-rich, Fe-peak-enhanced environment. This link ties stellar birth and death, with the young star Ve 7-27 embedded in material expelled by Vela Junior's massive progenitor, and the remnant's blast wave is expanding through the same medium. Adopting the Gaia-based distance to Ve 7-27, we revise Vela Junior's distance to 1.41 ± 0.14 kpc. At this distance, the remnant's physical radius is 23.3 ± 2.3 pc, and X-ray proper motions of the northwestern rim correspond to shock speeds of (2.8 ± 0.7) × 10³ to (5.6 ± 1.5) × 10³ km s^–1. These imply an age of ∼1.6-3.3 kyr and a very low ambient density, indicating that Vela Junior is expanding within a highly rarefied wind-blown cavity carved by a massive progenitor-consistent with the nondetection of strong thermal X-ray emission. This distance update also resolves long-standing inconsistencies, with major implications for its energy budget, particle acceleration efficiency, and compact object evolution.