Chandra Release - August 19, 2002

Visual Description: Cassiopeia A

The X-ray image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A is a striking irregular-spherical image with a range of textures, from smooth and uniform to clumpy and irregular. The Cassiopeia A image shows remarkable structure in the debris of a gigantic stellar explosion, as well as a tiny white dot in the center, which is the rapidly spinning neutron star. The surrounding areas beyond that white point source have lower levels of brightness. The low, medium, and higher X-ray energies of the Chandra data are shown as red, green, and blue respectively.  Overall, the image manages to evoke dim but colorful glowing embers in soft, muted pinks, purples, greys, greens and blues.