N132D

CXC Logo
Chandra X-ray
Observatory Center
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden St. Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
http://chandra.harvard.edu
graphic
N132D: A supernova located in the Large Magellanic Cloud about 160,000 light years from Earth.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/SAO/CXC; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Tappe & J. Rho)

Caption: This composite image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope shows the supernova remnant known as N132D. Supernovas are the explosive deaths of the Universe's most massive stars. Once these stars run out of fuel, they collapse and blast waves of energy into space around them. In this image, three of Spitzer's infrared bands are shown in red, green, and blue, while Chandra's X-rays are seen in purple. The pinkish color reveals a clash between the explosion's high-energy shockwaves and surrounding dust grains.

Scale: Image is 7.4 x 4.9 arcmin.

Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image

CXC operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
graphic