A star's spectacular death in the constellation Taurus was observed on Earth as the supernova of 1054 A.D. Now, almost a thousand years later, a super dense object -- called a neutron star -- left behind by the explosion is seen spewing out a blizzard of high-energy particles into the expanding debris field known as the Crab Nebula. X-ray data from Chandra provide significant clues to the workings of this mighty cosmic "generator," which is producing energy at the rate of 100,000 suns.
This composite image uses data from three of NASA's Great Observatories. The Chandra X-ray image is shown in blue, the Hubble Space Telescope optical image is in red and yellow, and the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared image is in purple. The X-ray image is smaller than the others because extremely energetic electrons emitting X-rays radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower-energy electrons emitting optical and infrared light. Along with many other telescopes, Chandra has repeatedly observed the Crab Nebula over the course of the mission's lifetime. The Crab Nebula is one of the most studied objects in the sky, truly making it a cosmic icon.
This combined X-ray, optical, infrared image of the supernova remnant and pulsar Crab Nebula shows a bright object in purple, pink, pale gold and bright blue, which resembles an irregular and subtly lobed shaped object. This central object is the pulsar, a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits bursts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays. Surrounding the pulsar is an inner part of the nebula that appears as a hazy, purple-pink structure. The larger nebula beyond that has a filamentary structure, with wispy tendrils of gas stretching out into the surrounding space. This composite image uses data from three of NASA's Great Observatories. The Chandra X-ray Observatory image is shown in blue, the Hubble Space Telescope optical images are in red and yellow, and the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared image is in purple. The X-ray image is in the very center of the nebula. It is much smaller than the other layers of light because ultra high-energy X-ray emitting electrons radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower-energy electrons emitting optical and infrared light. The neutron star, which has the mass equivalent to the sun crammed into a rapidly spinning ball of neutrons twelve miles across, is the bright white dot in the center of the image.
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