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
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
G54.1+0.3: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

  • A new composite image of Chandra and Spitzer data shows G54.1+0.3, the dusty remains of a collapsed star.

  • X-rays from Chandra reveal a wind of high-energy particles from the pulsar at the center of the image.

  • The Spitzer data shows an infrared shell around the pulsar that is made of gas and dust that condensed from the supernova.

A new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope shows the dusty remains of a collapsed star. The dust is flying past and engulfing a nearby family of stars. Scientists think the stars in the image are part of a stellar cluster in which the a supernova exploded. The material ejected in the explosion is now blowing past these stars at high velocities.

The composite image of G54.1+0.3 shows X-rays from Chandra in blue, and data from Spitzer in green (shorter wavelength infrared) and red-yellow (longer wavelength infrared). The white source near the center of the image is a dense, rapidly rotating neutron star, or "pulsar," left behind after a core-collapse supernova explosion. The pulsar generates a wind of high-energy particles -- seen in the Chandra data -- that expands into the surrounding environment, illuminating the material ejected in the supernova explosion.

The infrared shell that surrounds the pulsar wind is made up of gas and dust that condensed out of debris from the supernova. As the cold dust expands into the surroundings, it is heated and lit up by the stars in the cluster so that it is observable in the infrared. The dust closest to the stars is the hottest and is seen to glow in yellow in the image. Some of the dust is also being heated by the expanding pulsar wind as it overtakes the material in the shell.

The unique environment into which this supernova exploded makes it possible for astronomers to observe the condensed dust from the supernova that is usually too cold to emit in the infrared. Without the presence of the stellar cluster, it would not be possible to observe this dust until it becomes energized and heated by a shock wave from the supernova. However, the very action of such shock heating would destroy many of the smaller dust particles. In G54.1+0.3, astronomers are observing pristine dust before any such destruction.

Fast Facts for G54.1+0.3:
Credit  X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/T.Temim et al.; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Release Date  March 29, 2010
Scale  Image is 3 arcmin across (about 17 light years across).
Category  Supernovas & Supernova Remnants, Neutron Stars/X-ray Binaries
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 19h 30m 30s | Dec +18° 52´ 14"
Constellation  Sagitta
Observation Date  07/08/08, 07/10/08, 07/12/08, 07/15/08
Observation Time  81 hours (3 days 9 hours)
Obs. ID  9886, 9108, 9109, 9887
Instrument  ACIS
References Temim, T, et al, ApJ 710:309-324, 2010 February 10
Color Code  X-ray (Blue), Infrared 24 micron (Red-Yellow), Infrared 8 micron (Green)
IR
X-ray
Distance Estimate  About 20,000 light years
distance arrow
Visitor Comments (4)

This is breathtaking. This should be made available to students in elementary school.

Posted by Henry Hicks on Monday, 04.5.10 @ 19:27pm


Amazing how mankind can go that far with their instruments hope someday we can go in person.

Posted by Felipe Cervantes-Sotelo on Wednesday, 03.31.10 @ 12:15pm


Is it possible that black hole creation is almost at a halt? Since most of the first generation gargantuan stars are now black holes, this leaves pulsars and heavy amounts of stellar debris without orientation. Which might create gigantic heavy dust fields that might in turn create gargantuan stars again repeating the cycle. Thanks, awesome work.

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 03.30.10 @ 06:22am


How beautiful is the universe we live in. I have the greatest admiration for such explorers like you.

Posted by David Stalker on Monday, 03.29.10 @ 19:16pm


Rate This Image

Rating: 3.8/5
(551 votes cast)
Download & Share

Desktops

1024x768 - 269.9 kb
1280x1024 - 372.1 kb
1680x1050 - 466.7 kb
More Information
Blog: G54.1+0.3
More Images
X-ray Image of G54.1+0.3
Jpg, Tif
X-ray

More Images
Animation & Video
Tour of G54.1+0.3
animation

More Animations
More Releases
G54.1+0.3
G54.1+0.3
(25 Jun 02)

Related Images
Crab Nebula
Crab Nebula
(23 Nov 09)

B1509-58
B1509-58
(06 Sep 01)

Vela Pulsar
Vela Pulsar
(06 Jun 00)

Related Information
Related Podcast
Top Rated Images
Brightest Cluster Galaxies

30 Doradus B

SDSS J1531+3414




FaceBookTwitterYouTubeFlickr