A huge nebula reminiscent of a ‘ghost hand’ was observed in a distant universe.
According to Space.com, an aerospace media outlet, on the 1st (local time), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a photo of the nebula ‘MSH 15-52’ observed with the latest X-ray telescope ‘IXPE’ and the veteran observation vessel ‘Chandra’. revealed.
MSH 15-52 is a ‘pulsar wind nebula’, a nebula in space 16,000 light-years away from Earth that was created by the death of a massive star.
Rotating neutron stars with strong magnetic fields (extremely dense stars formed when a giant star undergoes a supernova explosion), or ‘pulsars’, provide high-energy conditions that cannot exist on Earth. Pulsars are characterized by powerful ejections of charged particles and strong winds that form the ‘pulsar wind nebula’.
When this nebula was observed with the Chandra Telescope in the past, the nebula looked uniquely like a ‘hand’, but the exact flow was not confirmed. However, the research team said that by adding data from IXPE, the latest X-ray telescope, they were able to understand the flow that created this unique appearance.
<'MSH 15-52'을 (왼쪽부터) 찬드라, IXPE, 적외선 카메라로 촬영한 사진. 사진=NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./R. Romani et al.>
The research team divided this nebula into three parts: ‘palm’, ‘finger’, and ‘wrist’. Roger Romani of Stanford University in California, lead author of the paper, explained, “The amount of polarization is significantly high in a large area, which suggests that there is little turbulence in that area.”
He continued, “A straight and uniform magnetic field was generated in the ‘finger’,” and “On the other hand, in the complex area, an ‘energy rise’ was observed in the particles. “This can be seen in the distinct, bright X-ray jet near the ‘wrist’,” he added.
Electronic Newspaper Internet Reporter Seo Hee-won [email protected]
