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Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
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Chandra X-ray Image of E0102-72.3 with Scale Bar
(Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO)

More Releases
G21.5-0.9
G21.5-0.9
(22 Jul 24)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(17 Dec 18)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(23 May 18)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(23 Jul 09)
G21.5-0.9
G21.5-0.9
(19 Apr 05)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(10 Apr 00)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(14 Jan 00)
E0102-72.3
E0102-72.3
(20 Sep 99)
G21.5-0.9
G21.5-0.9
(20 Sep 99)

Related Images
SNR 0540-69.3
SNR 0540-69.3
(20 Apr 04)
Supernovas Portrait Gallery

Object 1 in X-ray Object 2 in X-ray Object 3 in X-ray

Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal previously unobserved features in the remnants of three different supernova explosions. Two of the remnants, G21.5-0.9 and PSR 0540-69, show dramatic new details of the prodigious production of energetic particles by a rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron star, as well as the enormous shell structures produced by the explosions. The striking image of the supernova remnant E0102-72 shows puzzling spoke-like structures in its interior.



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E0102-72 Chandra Cas A X-ray Image NASA/CXC/SAO
Jpg (68 k)
Tif (2.0 MB)
PS (1.1 MB)


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.


Fast Facts for E0102-72.3:
Credit  NASA/CXC/SAO
Scale  1 arcmin across.
Category  Supernovas & Supernova Remnants, Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 01h 04m 02.40s | Dec -727deg; 01' 55.30"
Constellation  Tucana
Color Code  Intensity
Instrument  ACIS
Also Known As SN010102-72
Distance Estimate  200,000 light years
Release Date  September 20, 1999
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G21.5-0.9 Chandra Cas A X-ray Image NASA/CXC/SAO
Jpg (143 k)
Tif (1.5 MB)
PS (1.1 MB)

The identification of G21.5-0.9 as the remnant of a supernova explosion is based on indirect evidence from radio and X-ray observations. At both radio and X-ray wavelengths, it appears as round patch in the sky. Detailed observations with radio telescopes confirm that the radio waves are produced by high energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines (synchrotron radiation). The X-rays are probably produced by the same process, but the electrons involved have energies many thousands times higher than those that produce the radio waves. The favored theory is that the high-energy electrons responsible for both the radio and X-ray emission are produced by a rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron star left behind when a massive star exploded some 40,000 years ago.


Fast Facts for G21.5-0.9:
Credit  NASA/CXC/SAO
Scale  7.5 arcmin across.
Category  Supernovas & Supernova Remnants, Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 18h 33m 33.50s | Dec -10° 34´ 06.70"
Constellation  Scutum
Color Code  Intensity
Instrument  ACIS
Distance Estimate  20,000 light years
Release Date  September 20, 1999
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PSR 0540-69 Chandra Cas A X-ray Image NASA/CXC/SAO
Jpg (236 k)
Tif (1.7 MB)
PS (4.1 MB)

PSR 0540-69 is a neutron star, or pulsar, that is rotating very rapidly, making a complete rotation every one-twentieth of a second. It is similar in many ways to the famous Crab Nebula pulsar. Both objects are spinning rapidly, are about 1,000 years old and are surrounded by a large cloud of gas and high-energy particles. The surrounding cloud in both cases is powered by the conversion of rotational energy of the neutron star into high energy particles through the combined action of rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field. PSR 0540-69 is 160,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one the Milky Way's small satellite galaxies.


Fast Facts for PSR 0540-69:
Credit  NASA/CXC/SAO
Scale  2 arcmin across.
Category  Supernovas & Supernova Remnants, Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 05h 40m 11s | Dec -69° 19´ 55"
Constellation  Dorado
Observation Dates August 31, 1999
Observation Time 5 hours
Color Code  Intensity
Instrument  HRC
Distance Estimate  160,000 light years
Release Date  September 20, 1999