A Tour of G299.2-2.9

Narrator (April Hobart, CXC): Over its decade and a half in orbit, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has looked at many different objects. Some of its most spectacular images are undoubtedly of supernova remnants. Because the debris fields of exploded stars are very hot and energetic, they glow brightly in X-ray light. The supernova remnant called G299.2-2.9, or G299 for short, is no exception. This new Chandra image of G299 shows a beautiful and intricate structure in the expanding remains of the shattered star. By analyzing the details of the remnant today, astronomers can get information about the explosion that created the remnant about 4,500 years ago.