chandra_449 March 29th, 2010
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/T.Temim et
A composite image from Chandra (blue) and Spitzer (green and red-yellow) data shows the dusty remains of a collapsed star. The white source at the center is a pulsar that is generating a wind of high-energy particles seen by Chandra that expands into the surrounding environment. The infrared shell that surrounds this pulsar wind is made up of gas and dust that condensed out of debris from the supernova explosion. The nature and quantity of dust produced in supernova explosions is a long-standing mystery, and G54.1+0.3 supplies an important piece to the puzzle.
Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory
Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2010/g541/
Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA
Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
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