Friday, September 7, 2007

slayer





















This image of supernova remnant G347.3-0.5 combines data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton. The XMM-Newton satellite obtained data from a wider field of view, while Chandra focused on areas of interest to researchers (in outlines).

Chinese astronomers may have witnessed the supernova that caused G347.3-0.5, in 393 A.D. According to Chinese records, a bright star in the location of G347.3-0.5 remained visible for months, and rivaled Jupiter in brilliance. However, several supernova remnants lie within this region, making it difficult to identify the remnant of SN 393 AD with certainty.

X-rays from G347.3-0.5 are dominated by radiation from extremely high-energy electrons in a magnetized shell rather than radiation from a hot gas. The remnant also produces very high-energy gamma rays. The bright point-like source on the lower section of the image (which only shows the upper portion of the entire remnant) is similar to other known neutron stars, and indicates that G347.3-0.5 is the result of a core-collapse of a massive star. In both the Chandra and XMM-Newton images, brightness of the color represents the intensity of X-rays.

source:Nasa