The Rim of RCW 86 (IMAGE)

ESO

The Rim of RCW 86

Caption

Image of part of a stellar remnant whose explosion was recorded in 185 A.D. By studying this remnant in detail, a team of astronomers was able to solve the mystery of the Milky Way’s super-efficient particle accelerators. The team shows that the shock wave visible in this area is very efficient at accelerating particles and the energy used in this process matches the number of cosmic rays observed on Earth. North is toward the top right and east to the top left. The image is about six arc minutes across.

Credit

ESO/E. Helder & NASA/Chandra

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