MSH 15-52: Cosmic Hand Hitting a Wall

On 6/16/21, the Chandra program released to the public a new image entitled “MSH 15-52: Cosmic Hand”.  Watch as the blast wave from an exploded star moves at nearly 9 million miles per hour.  Astronomers captured this movement by combining data spanning 14 years from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.  This hand-shaped structure is a nebula of energy and particles blown by a pulsar left behind after the star exploded.  The blast wave is slamming into a wall of gas from a neighboring cloud, causing it to slow down.

For more information visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/news/msh-15-52-cosmic-hand-hitting-a-wall.html

Image of MSH 15-52
Image of MSH 15-52
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