May 25, 2009 - Lopsided Life After Death

Lopsided Life After Death The aftermath of the death of a massive star is shown in beautiful detail in this new composite image of G292.0+1.8. In color is the Chandra X-ray Observatory image—easily the deepest X-ray image ever obtained of this supernova remnant—and in white is optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey. A pulsar, or rapidly rotating neutron star that remained behind after the original massive star exploded, is usually found at the center of a supernova remnant. The pulsar in G292.0+1.8, however, is located slightly below and to the left of the center. Assuming that the pulsar was born at the center of the remnant, it is thought that recoil from the lopsided explosion may have kicked the pulsar in this direction, but the kick direction and the pulsar’s spin are not aligned, as they are in other remnants.

Image credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC / Penn State / S.Park et al; Optical: Pal.Obs. DSS

 

Weekly Calendar

May 25-31, 2009

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

Monday 25

Memorial Day

Jupiter 0.4° south of Neptune

1961: JFK challenges nation to Moon landing before end of decade
1965: Saturn SA-8 launched
1966: Roll-out of first full-scale Saturn V
1973: Skylab 2 begins 28-day mission
2008: Phoenix lander lands on Mars

Tuesday 26

Moon at perigee

1951: Sally Ride born

Wednesday 27

2009: Soyuz TMA-15 launched carrying ISS Expedition 20/21 crew

Thursday 28

1959: First primates in space, Able and Baker (monkeys), complete suborbital flight
1964: SA-6 launched, second Saturn I Block 2

Friday 29

Neptune appears stationary

1919: Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity tested during total solar eclipse

Saturday 30

First Quarter Moon 11:22 pm
Mercury appears stationary

1966: Surveyor 1 launched
1971: Mariner 9 probe launched

Sunday 31

Whit Sunday—Pentecost

Saturn 6° north of Moon

1975: European Space Agency formed
1990: Kristall module launched to Mir space station
2008: STS-124 Discovery launched