Images by Date
Images by Category
Solar System
Stars
Exoplanets
White Dwarfs
Supernovas
Neutron Stars
Black Holes
Milky Way Galaxy
Normal Galaxies
Quasars
Galaxy Clusters
Cosmology/Deep Field
Miscellaneous
Images by Interest
Space Scoop for Kids
4K JPG
Multiwavelength
Sky Map
Constellations
Photo Blog
Top Rated Images
Image Handouts
Desktops
Fits Files
Visual descriptions
Image Tutorials
Photo Album Tutorial
False Color
Cosmic Distance
Look-Back Time
Scale & Distance
Angular Measurement
Images & Processing
AVM/Metadata
Image Use Policy
Web Shortcuts
Chandra Blog
RSS Feed
Chronicle
Email Newsletter
News & Noteworthy
Image Use Policy
Questions & Answers
Glossary of Terms
Download Guide
Get Adobe Reader
More Information
Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
Related Podcasts
Tour: NASA's Chandra Peers Into Densest and Weirdest Stars
Download Image

More Information

More Images
Chandra X-ray Image
of Cassiopeia A
(Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO)

Animation & Video

More Releases
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(26 Aug 24)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(22 Jul 24)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(24 Apr 24)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(08 Jan 24)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(18 Oct 22)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(02 Feb 22)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(21 Apr 21)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(26 Aug 19)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(12 Dec 17)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(15 Nov 13)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(29 Mar 12)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(23 Feb 11)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(04 Nov 09)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(06 Jan 09)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(06 Jan 09)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(15 Nov 06)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(23 Aug 04)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(19 Aug 02)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(27 Jun 00)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(21 Dec 99)
Cassiopeia A
Cassiopeia A
(26 Aug 99)

Cassiopeia A:
Cassiopeia A in Many Colors


Cassiopeia A
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Steward/O.Krause et al.

This stunning picture of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a composite of images taken by three of NASA's Great Observatories. Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope are colored red; optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope are yellow; and X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are green and blue.

Cas A is the 300-year-old remnant created by the supernova explosion of a massive star. Each Great Observatory image highlights different characteristics of the remnant. Spitzer reveals warm dust in the outer shell with temperatures of about 26 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit), and Hubble sees the delicate filamentary structures of warmer gases about 10,000 degrees Celsius. Chandra shows hot gases at about 10 million degrees Celsius. This hot gas was created when ejected material from the supernova smashed into surrounding gas and dust at speeds of about ten million miles per hour.

A comparison of the infrared and X-ray images of Cas A should enable astronomers to better understand how relatively cool dust grains can coexist in the superhot gas that produces the X-rays. It should also help to determine whether most of the dust in the supernova remnant came from the massive star before it exploded, or from the rapidly expanding supernova ejecta.

The turquoise dot at the center of the shell may be a neutron star created during the supernova. Blue Chandra data were acquired using broadband X-rays (low through high energies); green Chandra data correspond only to intermediate energy X-rays; yellow Hubble data were taken using a 900 nanometer-wavelength filter, and red Spitzer data are from the telescope's 24-micron detector.

Fast Facts for Cassiopeia A:
Credit  X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Steward/O.Krause et al.
Scale  Image is 8 arcmin per side.
Category  Supernovas & Supernova Remnants
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 23h 23m 26.7s | Dec +58° 49´ 03.00"
Constellation  Cassiopeia
Observation Dates  9 pointings between Feb 8 - May 5, 2004
Observation Time  11 days, 14 hours
Color Code  Energy (Infrared = red; Optical = yellow; X-ray = blue & green)
Instrument  ACIS
Also Known As Cas A
References D. Hines et al. 2004, Astrophys. Journal Supplement 154:290-295
Distance Estimate  About 11,000 light years
Release Date  June 13, 2005