The Chandra X-ray Observatory has re-imaged a familiar scene of a relatively nearby exploded star, revealing new details of the chaotic aftermath.
The supernova remnant, as it is called, is named Cassiopeia A. It is about 10,000 light-years away.
"Although this young supernova remnant has been intensely studied for years, this deep observation is the most detailed ever made of the remains of an exploded star," said Martin Laming of the Naval Research Laboratory. "It is a gold mine of data that astronomers will be panning through for years to come."
"The presence of the bipolar jets suggests that jets could be more common in relatively normal supernova explosions than supposed by astronomers," said Una Hwang of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
The new observations also showed that parts of the expanding bubble are rich in iron. Yet the far-reaching jets are rich in silicon and don't contain much iron. The researchers suspect the explosion generated a strong magnetic field that accelerated the high-speed jets. Theorists are not sure how these jets, which can approach the speed of light, are shot from neutron stars and black holes.
- 5 Years Ago: The First Photo of Cas A
- Some of Chandra's Best Pictures
