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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 galaxy is approximately
190,000 light years from Earth, so we see the remnant as it was about 190,000
years ago, around a thousand years after the explosion occurred. |
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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 galaxy is approximately
190,000 light years from Earth, so we see the remnant as it was about 190,000
years ago, around a thousand years after the explosion occurred
The star exploded outward at speeds in excess of 20 million kilometers
per hr (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 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.
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The
Chandra X-ray image, shown in blue, shows gas that has been heated to millions
of degrees Celsius 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 shows dense clumps of oxygen
gas that have "cooled" to about 30,000 degree Celsius.
Images such as these, taken with different types of telescopes, give
astronomers a much more complete picture of supernova explosions. They
can map how the elements necessary for life are dispersed, and measure
the energy of the matter as it expands into the galaxy.
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