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    Color Composite Image of the Supernova Remnant

    Color Composite Image of the Supernova Remnant

    WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES

    11.19.2009

    Courtesy Photo

    NASA

    This image is a color composite of the supernova remnant E0102-72: x-ray (blue), optical (green), and radio (red). E0102-72 is the remnant of a star that exploded in a nearby galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud. The star exploded outward at speeds in excess of 20 million kilometers per hour (12 million mph) and collided with surrounding gas. This collision produced two shock waves, or cosmic sonic booms, one traveling outward, and the other rebounding back into the material ejected by the explosion. The radio image, shown in red, was made using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The radio waves are due to extremely high-energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines in the gas and trace the outward moving shock wave. The Chandra X-ray Observatory image, shown in blue, shows gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by the rebounding, or reverse shock wave. The x-ray data show that this gas is rich in oxygen and neon. These elements were created by nuclear reactions inside the star and hurled into space by the supernova. The Hubble Space Telescope optical image, shown in green, shows dense clumps of oxygen gas that have "cooled" to about 30,000 degrees. Photo Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/SAO); optical (NASA/HST): radio: (ACTA)

    NASA Identifier: MSFC-0200145

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    IMAGE INFO

    Date Taken: 11.19.2009
    Date Posted: 02.08.2013 17:17
    Photo ID: 854296
    Resolution: 1536x1523
    Size: 252.83 KB
    Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., US

    Web Views: 253
    Downloads: 16

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