Chandra Celebrates 15th Anniversary: Supernova Remnant
G292.0+1.8
At a distance of about 20,000 light years, G292.0+1.8 is one of only three
supernova remnants in the Milky Way known to contain large amounts of oxygen.
These oxygen-rich supernovas are of great interest to astronomers because they
are one of the primary sources of the heavy elements (that is, everything other
than hydrogen and helium) necessary to form planets and people. The X-ray image
from Chandra shows a rapidly expanding, intricately structured, debris field
that contains, along with oxygen (yellow and orange), other elements such as
magnesium (green) and silicon and sulfur (blue) that were forged in the star
before it exploded.
Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO
NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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