Andrew Yee[_1_]
June 9th 08, 03:55 PM
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
June 2, 2008
W28: A Mixed Bag
[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/w28/]
When some stars die, they explode as supernovas and their debris fields
(aka, "supernova remnants") expand into the surrounding environments. There
are several different types, or categories, of supernova remnants. One of
these is known as a mixed-morphology supernova remnant. This type gets its
name because it shares several characteristics from other types of supernova
remnants. More specifically, particles that have been superheated are seen
in X-rays in the center of the remnant. This inner region is enclosed by
shell structure detected in radio emission.
This composite shows a classic example of mixed-morphology supernova remnant
known as W28. Each wavelength shows detailed structure of how the supernova
shock wave is interacting, or has interacted, with the complex cloudy
environment which surrounded its parent star. In this image, the stars and
fine structure in the background are seen in optical light (grey and white)
by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The radio (orange)
data were obtained by the Very Large Array in New Mexico, while the blue in
the wide-field view comes from the ROSAT satellite (X-rays). Data from NASAs
Chandra X-ray Observatory give new detail into the heart of W28 as seen in
the inset. In this close-up view of the center, low-energy X-rays are
colored red, the medium are green, and the highest found by Chandra are
blue. The Chandra data show the shape and extent of the high-energy emission
in the central region. By studying W28 and others like it, astronomers hope
to better understand the complexities involved when a star explodes in a
crowded neighborhood.
Involved in this W28 study were Jonathan Keohane (Hampden-Sydney College),
Jeonghee Rho (Spitzer Science Center), Thomas Pannuti (Morehead State
University), Kazik Borkowski (North Carolina State University) and Frank
Winkler (Middlebury College).
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
June 2, 2008
W28: A Mixed Bag
[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/w28/]
When some stars die, they explode as supernovas and their debris fields
(aka, "supernova remnants") expand into the surrounding environments. There
are several different types, or categories, of supernova remnants. One of
these is known as a mixed-morphology supernova remnant. This type gets its
name because it shares several characteristics from other types of supernova
remnants. More specifically, particles that have been superheated are seen
in X-rays in the center of the remnant. This inner region is enclosed by
shell structure detected in radio emission.
This composite shows a classic example of mixed-morphology supernova remnant
known as W28. Each wavelength shows detailed structure of how the supernova
shock wave is interacting, or has interacted, with the complex cloudy
environment which surrounded its parent star. In this image, the stars and
fine structure in the background are seen in optical light (grey and white)
by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The radio (orange)
data were obtained by the Very Large Array in New Mexico, while the blue in
the wide-field view comes from the ROSAT satellite (X-rays). Data from NASAs
Chandra X-ray Observatory give new detail into the heart of W28 as seen in
the inset. In this close-up view of the center, low-energy X-rays are
colored red, the medium are green, and the highest found by Chandra are
blue. The Chandra data show the shape and extent of the high-energy emission
in the central region. By studying W28 and others like it, astronomers hope
to better understand the complexities involved when a star explodes in a
crowded neighborhood.
Involved in this W28 study were Jonathan Keohane (Hampden-Sydney College),
Jeonghee Rho (Spitzer Science Center), Thomas Pannuti (Morehead State
University), Kazik Borkowski (North Carolina State University) and Frank
Winkler (Middlebury College).