A Chandra View of Supernova 1987A

This is an image of the intricate remains of Supernova 1987A taken by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The blue hue reveals where the expanding shock wave from the exploded star is colliding with a ring of material around the supernova. The blue color reveals the hottest gas.

NASA, ESA, and A. Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF) Chandra image: NASA/CXC/Penn State/K. Frank et al.