Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk

Near the center of this composite image lies the pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star that is only about 12 miles in diameter. This tiny object is responsible for producing an intricate nebula (called MSH 15-52) that spans over 150 light-years, or about 900 trillion miles. The nebula, which is produced by energetic particles, resembles a human hand with a palm and extended fingers pointing to the upper right in Chandra's X-ray view (blue, orange, and yellow). Radio data from ATCA (red) provides new information about this exploded star and its environment. This image also contains optical data of hydrogen gas (gold). The bright red and gold areas near the top of the image show the remains of the supernova that formed the pulsar.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2025/msh1552/

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

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