Chandra Release - June 13, 2007

Visual Description: N132D

  The composite image shows the supernova remnant N132D. In the center of the image, there is a bright pinkish-red spot, which is the supernova remnant itself. This vibrant color stands out against the darker blue background prominently speckled with electric green and blue dots, which represent stars. The supernova remnant appears as a partially filled in horseshoe shape with a cloud-like texture. The supernova remnant is relatively small compared to the vastness of the space in the image, but it still occupies a significant portion of the image, emphasizing its importance as a celestial phenomenon.   This composite includes data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red, green, and blue) and Chandra X-ray Observatory (pink-purple) to show the remnant of the explosion, and the environment it is expanding into. The remnant, seen as the wispy pink shell of gas at the center of this image, reveals an interaction between the explosion's high-energy shockwaves and surrounding dust grains. Outside of the central remnant, small organic molecules called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are shown as tints of green. Meanwhile, the blue dots represent stars within that lie along the line of sight between the observatories and N132D.