E0102-72: a supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud 20/09/1999

Click to return to main E0102-72  page

Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal previously unobserved features in the remnants of supernova explosions. The striking image of the supernova remnant E0102-72 shows puzzling spoke-like structures in its interior.
Go to full text
Click here to return to the Stars' topics
Image Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO.  

E0102-72 is a supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This galaxy is 190,000 light years from Earth. E0102 -72, which is approximately a thousand years old, is believed to have resulted from the explosion of a massive star. Stretching across forty light years of space, the multi-million degree source resembles a flaming cosmic wheel. Constellation: Tucana  
Return to top of page