More Images of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A
Chandra X-ray Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A
Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to monitor a neutron star, known as RX J0822-4300, over a period of about five years. During that span, three Chandra observations show the neutron star moving at a blistering speed. As one of the fastest moving stars ever discovered, this cosmic cannonball is a challenge to theories of stellar ejection in supernova explosions.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Middlebury College/F.Winkler et al.)
Labeled Composite Image of RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A
This graphic shows a wide-field view of the Puppis A supernova remnant along with a close-up image of the neutron star, known as RX J0822-4300, that is moving at a blistering pace. The larger field-of-view is a composite of X-ray data from the ROSAT satellite (pink) and optical data (purple), from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 0.9-meter telescope, which highlights oxygen emission. Astronomers think Puppis A was created when a massive star ended its life in a supernova explosion about 3,700 years ago, forming an incredibly dense object called a neutron star and releasing debris into space.
(Credit: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Middlebury College/F.Winkler et al.; ROSAT: NASA/GSFC/S.Snowden et al.; Optical: NOAO/AURA/NSF/Middlebury College/F.Winkler et al.)
ROSAT X-ray & CTIO Optical Images of Puppis A
A wide-field view of the supernova remnant Puppis A (X-rays from ROSAT, optical data from CTIO) puts the motion of the neutron star RX J0822-4300 into context. The explosion that created the supernova may have been lop-sided, kicking the neutron star in one direction and much of the debris in the other.
(Credit: ROSAT: NASA/GSFC/S.Snowden et al.; Optical: NOAO/AURA/NSF/Middlebury College/F.Winkler et al.)
Return to RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A (November 28, 2007)
RX J0822-4300 in Puppis A with Scale Bar