Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Texas/S.Park et al, ROSAT; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF

This composite image shows G299.2-2.9 in X-ray light from Chandra (orange) that has been overlaid on an infrared image from the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). Evidence points to G299.2-2.9 being the remains of a Type Ia supernova, where a white dwarf has grown sufficiently massive to cause a thermonuclear explosion. Because it is older than most supernova remnants caused by these explosions, at an age of about 4,500 years, G299.2-2.9 provides astronomers with an excellent opportunity to study how such remnants evolve over time.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2011/g299/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html