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PIA09071: Stellar Debris in the Large Magellanic Cloud
 Mission:  Spitzer Space Telescope
 Instrument:  IRAC
 Product Size:  2320 x 2420 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  California Institute of Technology 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA09071.tif (16.86 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA09071.jpg (373.3 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

This is a composite image of N49, the brightest supernova remnant in optical light in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Chandra X-ray image (blue) shows million-degree gas in the center. Much cooler gas at the outer parts of the remnant is seen in the infrared image from Spitzer (red). While astronomers expected that dust particles were generating most of the infrared emission, the study of this object indicates that much of the infrared is instead generated in heated gas.

The unique filamentary structure seen in the optical image by Hubble (white and yellow) has long set N49 apart from other well understood supernova remnants, as most supernova remnants appear roughly circular in visible light. Recent mapping of molecular clouds suggests that this supernova remnant is expanding into a denser region to the southeast, which would cause its asymmetrical appearance. This idea is confirmed by the Chandra data. Although X-rays reveal a round shell of emission, the X-rays also show brightening in the southeast, confirming the idea of colliding material in that area.

Image Credit:
NASA/CXC/STScI/JPL-Caltech/UIUC/Univ. of Minn.

Image Addition Date:
2006-12-08