- NASA shared an image of the stellar remnants of a supernova.
- The space agency’s Chandra X-ray observatory observed RCW 103 about 9,000 light-years away.
- It is one of the “most extreme” whirling neutron stars or pulsars ever recorded.
Saturday, NASA shared a photo of the stellar remnants of a supernova about 9,000 light-years away, as observed by the Chandra X-Ray observatory, in an Instagram post replete with references to Taylor Swift. The 2016 image of one of the “most extreme” whirling neutron stars or pulsars ever recorded has captured the curiosity of the internet.
“Are you a Swiftie? We are too!,” wrote the space agency.
The image, which depicts the remnants of the supernova, is a composite of three bands of X-ray radiation observed by the NASA Chandra X-Ray observatory, “with low energy X-rays in red, medium in green, and the highest in blue” as the NASA Chandra X-Ray observatory noted.
Take a look:
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“Supernova” refers to the cataclysmic explosion of a big star near the conclusion of its life, at least five times the mass of the Sun. It possesses exceptional brightness.
Several X-ray telescopes, notably the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, observed RCW 103, the supernova remnant at issue.
Using optical, X-Ray, and ultraviolet wavelengths, Swift Observatory detects gamma-ray bursts, which are massive gamma radiation pulses produced by star collapses and resulting in a black hole.
Across the image, “Blank space as black as #Midnight is dotted with tiny white stars across the image. A swirling labyrinth of colors of blue, green, yellow, purple, and red makes up the center of the photo surrounding the neutron star in bright blue,” NASA wrote.
The gorgeous image has received over 1.2 million likes and has left Instagram users with an unquenchable amount of curiosity.
“This is soooo beautiful. Our universe can be so cinematographic,” wrote a commenter.
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