Chandra Release - October 26, 2023

Visual Description: SN 1006

This release features a labeled, composite image of the supernova remnant SN 1006, debris from an exploded star that resembles a mottled red ball of churning fire against a softer backdrop of stars. The turbulent supernova remnant appears to be encircled by a gauzy blue and white ring that is most prominent at our lower right and upper left. This structure is markedly different from other rounded supernova remnants.
 

At the upper lefthand corner of this composite image, a labeled section of SN 1006 is highlighted in a blue-tinted circle. Within this circle, only the outer ring of the supernova remnant is shown, not the mottled red stellar material churning inside. This ring is part of the supernova's expanding blast wave, which has been observed in X-ray light by both Chandra and the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).  The soft backdrop of stars was captured in infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
 

Scientists are using these observations to map the magnetic field structures of SN 1006. They have surmised that this supernova remnant's structure is tied to the orientation of its magnetic fields. Scientists theorize that the blast waves from the initial explosion correspond most closely with the magnetic field lines along its upper left and lower right edges. This correspondence results in particles being efficiently accelerated to high speeds.