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Taking
it to the Edge
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Image
contains HOT SPOTS to
individual Images.
G347.3-0.5
and RCW 86
Image
Left
Chandra
& XMM-Newton X-ray Images of G347.3-0.5
More
Information ROLLOVER
Image
Right
Chandra
& XMM-Newton X-ray Images of RCW 86
More
Information ROLLOVER
Credit:
Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO/P.Slane et al.; XMM-Newton:
ESA/RIKEN/J.Hiraga et al.; Chandra: NASA/CXC/Univ. of
Utrecht/J.Vink et al.; XMM-Newton: ESA/Univ. of
Utrecht/J.Vink et al.
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These images
of two supernova remnants, G347.3-0.5 and RCW 86, show the result
of combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's
XMM-Newton. In each image, XMM-Newton has obtained data from a
much wider field-of-view, while Chandra has been used to
concentrate on key areas of interest to researchers (outlined in
the boxes).
RCW 86 (right panel) may be the
one of the earliest stellar explosions ever recorded. The
formation of the remnant appears to coincide with a supernova
observed by Chinese astronomers (and perhaps the Romans) in 185
AD. Together, the Chandra and XMM-Newton data show the expanding
ring of debris that was created after a massive star in the Milky
Way collapsed onto itself and exploded. Both the Chandra and
XMM-Newton images show low-energy X-rays in red, medium energies
in green and high energies in blue. The Chandra observations
focused on the northeast (left-hand) and southwest (lower right)
side of RCW 86, and show that X-ray radiation is produced both by
high-energy electrons accelerated in a magnetic field (blue) as
well as heat from the blast itself (red).
As in the case of RCW 86, it is
believed that the Chinese may have witnessed the supernova that
caused G347.3-0.5, but a couple of centuries later in 393 A.D.
According to the Chinese records, a bright star in the location
of G347.3-0.5 was visible for months and rivaled the brilliance
of Jupiter. X-rays from G347.3-0.5 are dominated by radiation
from extremely high-energy electrons in a magnetized shell rather
than radiation from a hot gas. The remnant is also a source of
very high-energy gamma rays. The bright point-like source on the
lower section of the image (which only shows the upper portion of
the entire remnant) is similar to other known neutron stars and
indicates that G347.3-0.5 is the result of a core-collapse of a
massive star. In both the Chandra and XMM-Newton images, the
intensity of X-rays is represented by the brightness of the
color.
Source:
NASA / Chandra X-Ray
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