A hand appears on NASA observatory radars. It looks like a cosmic x-ray, in an event that occurred 1700 years ago and about 16 thousand light years from Earth. What is this strange phenomenon, which has captured the attention of the world’s main astronomy portals? We explain this in this review.
Clearly, it’s not a hand. It is so called because elements of this scattered nebula are shaped like the skeleton of a human extremity, similar to what is shown on an x-ray. Coincidences of life, this galactic event can also be observed with a telescope that works with X-rays.
This mysterious hand is part of the nebula itself. It is known as MSH 15-52 and is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Circinus. It was discovered as a large radio source in 1961. It consists of a bright northern region and a fainter southern region, the north coinciding with the Hα nebula RCW 89.
The nebula that forms this supernova remnant is the product of an impressive explosion that was recorded around 1700 years ago. Scientists’ estimates say the catastrophic event occurred due to a massive star running out of its nuclear fuel.
The explosion was so powerful that it sent shock waves through space, which interacted with the surrounding material to form the nebula.
MSH 15-52 is one of the brightest and most extensive pulsar wind nebulae known. A pulsar is a type of neutron star that spins rapidly. The nebula is powered by the wind of high-energy particles emanating from the pulsar.
The image was taken by the Chandra X-ray Telescope, a project led by NASA about 24 years ago.
2023-11-03 13:40:18
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