image: This is a three-color composite image of the young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A created from near-infrared (red) and X-ray (green and blue) data. The central yellow plot is a spectrum from this relic material of a star that exploded 330 years ago, which reveals strong emissions from phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe). Their relative intensities provide firm evidence for the in-situ production of phosphorus, one of the six essential elements for all life on Earth, in massive stars. Red = Near-infrared Fe+ (1.64 micron) image obtained by the 5-m Palomar Hale telescope. Green = X-ray continuum (4.2-6.5 keV) image from Chandra. Blue = X-ray Fe K (6.52-6.94 keV) image from Chandra. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the 13 Dec., 2013, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by B.-C. Koo at the University College London in London, UK, and colleagues was titled, "Phosphorus in the Young Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A." view more
Credit: [Credit: Near-infrared: B.-C. Koo, Y.-H. Lee (SNU), D.-S. Moon (UT/CalTech) <i>et al</i>.; X-ray: J.-J. Lee (KASI), CXC, NASA]