G292.0+1.8: A young supernova remnant in the constellation Centaurus.
Caption: Chandra's image of G292.0+1.8 shows a rapidly expanding supernova shell of multimillion degree gas that contains large amounts of elements such as oxygen, neon, magnesium silicon and sulfur. Embedded in the purple nebula left and below the center of the remnant is a point-like source of high-energy X-rays. The surrounding energetic features provide strong evidence for a rapidly spinning neutron star. The neutron star was created when the core of a massive star collapsed, triggering an oxygen-rich supernova. Such oxygen-rich remnants are rare, only three are known to exist in our galaxy. They are of great interest to astronomers because they are one of the primary sources of the heavy elements necessary to form planets and people.
Scale: Image is 9 arcmin per side.
Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image
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