14 DAY TRIAL // Astronomers operating the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) have recently released a new image showing a bright light in the heart of darkness. The object this photo centers on is called HD 5980, and is a young massive star.
The observations target lies in the very young stellar cluster NGC 346, surrounded by a hot gas cloud that most likely was produced by a massive supernova explosion thousands of years ago. Astronomers believe that the star which blew up may have been a companion to HD 5980.
According to data collected by a collaboration of telescopes that observe the sky in radio, optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, the massive gas cloud is heated to about 8 million-degree Celsius (14,400,032ºF), which is why it is releasing such large amounts of X-rays that make it visible to Chandra.
The observatory has thus far determined that the cloud has a diameter of about 100 light-years. By comparison, the Milky Way is roughly 100,000 light-years across. HD 5980 appears as the bright white spot in the upper parts of the image, while the gas appears largely in shades of dark purple.