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IMAGE: This adaptation of the 3D model of IC 443, a supernova remnant, has been optimized for virtual reality (VR). The outer blast wave of the explosion is bright blue, while. view more
Credit: NASA/CXC/Brown Univ./A. Dupuis et al.
A collection of the 3D objects from NASA s Chandra X-ray Observatory is now available on a new platform from the Smithsonian Institution. This will allow greater access to these unique 3D models and prints for institutions like libraries and museums as well as the scientific community and individuals in the public.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of NASA s Great Observatories (along with the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Compton Gamma-ray Observatory). Chandra, the world s most powerful X-ray telescope, is operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts.
An artist’s impression of a pulsar wind nebula at the heart of the SN 1987A supernova remnant. Image: Chandra (X-ray): NASA/CXC/Univ. di Palermo/E. Greco; Illustration: INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo/Salvatore Orlando
On 24 February 1987, a star exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the first supernova visible to the unaided eye in nearly 400 years. Known as SN 1987A, the spectacular blast generated world-wide interest as astronomers scrambled to study the aftermath of the explosion some 170,000 light years from Earth.
Now, more than three decades after the fact, astronomers may have finally found signs of the collapsed remnant of the doomed star in multiple observations suggesting the presence of a “pulsar wind nebula” made up of charged particles and magnetic fields generated by a spinning neutron star.
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Reclusive Neutron Star Thought Found among Debris of Famous Supernova
Astronomers now have evidence from two X-ray telescopes (Chandra and NuSTAR) for a key component of a famous supernova remnant.
Supernova 1987A was discovered on Earth on February 24, 1987, making it the first such event witnessed during the telescopic age.
For decades, scientists have searched for a neutron star in SN 1987A, i.e. a dense collapsed core that should have been left behind by the explosion.
This latest study shows that a pulsar wind nebula created by such a neutron star may be present.
Credit: NASA s Chandra X-ray Observatory
Supernova 1987A: Sternenrest gefunden? - Röntgenstrahlung deutet auf jungen Neutronenstern im Zentrum der Sternentrümmer hin scinexx.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scinexx.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reclusive neutron star may have been found in famous supernova eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.