Explanation:
Light from a star that exploded some ten thousand light-years
away first reached our fair planet in the year 1181.
Now known as supernova remnant 3C58, the region seen in
this false-color image glows in x-rays, powered by a rapidly
spinning
neutron star
or
pulsar - the dense
remains of the collapsed stellar core.
A cosmic dynamo with more mass than the sun, the pulsar's electromagnetic
fields seem to accelerate particles to enormous energies, creating
the jets, rings, and loop structures visible in this
stunning
x-ray view from the orbiting
Chandra
Observatory.
While adding 3C58 to the list of
pulsarpowered nebulae
explored with Chandra, astronomers
have deduced
that the pulsar itself is much too cool for its tender years,
citing 3C58 as a show case of extreme physics
not well understood.
The close-up inset above spans about six light-years.
