Data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and
the Spitzer Space Telescope were combined
to create this image of the dusty remains
of a collapsed star. This object, known as
G54.1+0.3, is a supernova remnant some 20,000
light years from Earth. The white object near
the center of the image is a dense, rapidly-rotating
neutron star called a pulsar that was left
behind after the star collapsed. The pulsar
generates a wind of high-energy particles,
seen in the Chandra data, that expands into
the surrounding environment, illuminating
the material ejected in the supernova explosion.
This infrared data shows a shell of dust and
gas that's being dispersed back into space
where it one day may become part of a new
generation of stars and planets.
