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DEM L71: A supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy about 160,000 light years from Earth. Caption: Chandra's X-ray image (left panel) of the supernova remnant DEM L71 revealed a ten million-degree hot inner cloud (aqua) of glowing iron and silicon surrounded by an outer ring of 5 million-degree gas. The outer ring is also visible at optical wavelengths (right panel). An analysis of the Chandra data identified the inner cloud as the remains of a white dwarf star that exploded. The white dwarf pulled matter from a nearby companion star onto itself until it became unstable and blew apart in a thermonuclear explosion called a Type Ia supernova. Scale: Each panel is 1.7 arcmin on a side. Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image |
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