|
|
N63A:
Celestial Illumination: The X-Ray Glow From An Exploded Star
Chandra has imaged the glowing shell created by the destruction of a massive star.
X-rays from Chandra (blue), combined
with optical (green) and radio (red) data, reveal new details in the
supernova remnant known as N63A, located in the nearby galaxy of the Large
Magellanic Cloud.
The X-ray glow is from material heated to about ten million degrees Celsius by a shock wave generated by the supernova explosion. The age of the remnant is estimated to be in the range of 2,000 to 5,000 years.
Optical and radio light are brightest in the central region of the remnant, which appears as a triangular-shaped "hole" in the X-ray image. The hole is produced by absorption of X-rays in a dense cloud of cooler gas and dust on the side of the remnant nearest the Earth. A comparison of the X-ray image with the radio and optical images suggests that the shock wave is engulfing this massive cloud, so we see only the edge nearest the Earth. Collisions such as this are thought to trigger the formation of new generations of stars.
Inverted Chandra Image of N63A |
The fluffy crescent-shaped X-ray features that appear around the edge of the remnant are thought to be fragments of high-speed matter shot out from the star when it exploded, like shrapnel from a bomb. In the only other supernova remnant (the Vela supernova remnant) where such features have been observed, the crescent shapes are clearly produced by ejecta fragments. An alternative explanation is that they were produced when the shock wave swept over less-massive clouds located several light years away from the site of the explosion.
| Fast Facts for N63A: |
| Credit |
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Rutgers/J.Warren et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/U. Ill/Y.Chu; Radio: ATCA/U. Ill/J.Dickel et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 112 arcsec per side |
| Category |
Supernovas and Supernova Remnants |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 05h 35m 44.10s | Dec -66º 02' 14.00" |
| Constellation |
Dorado |
| Observation Date |
October 16, 2000 |
| Observation Time |
11.9 hours |
| Obs. ID |
777 |
| Color Code |
Intensity: X-ray (blue), Optical (green) Radio (red) |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Reference |
J. Warren et al. 2003, Astrophysical Journal, 583, 260 "Revealing New Physical Structures in SNR N63A" |
| Distance Estimate |
About 160,000 light years |
| Also Known As |
SNR 0535-66.0 |
| Release Date |
December 19, 2003 |
|
|
|
