Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SSC/J. Keohane et al.; Infrared: Caltech/SSC/J.Rho and T. Jarrett

This is a composite Chandra X-ray (blue) and Palomar infrared (red and green) image that reveals a barrel-shaped supernova remnant consisting of bright infrared rings around a glowing bar of intense X-radiation. These X-rays are produced by jets of 15 million degree Celsius gas that is rich in iron and nickel. These features indicate that W49B was produced when the core of a rapidly-rotating massive star collapsed to form a black hole, triggering the ejection of high-energy jets of material. Such a sequence of events is consistent with the collapsar model for gamma-ray bursts. If confirmed, the discovery of a relatively nearby remnant of a gamma-ray burst would give scientists an excellent opportunity to study the aftermath of one of natures most violent explosions.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2004/w49b/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html