Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik
Deutsche Version MPE HEG X-Ray Astronomy Wave ROSAT Gallery ROSAT Calendar Images 1995
The Explosion Cloud from SN 1987A
On February 23, 1987 the star Sanduleak -69 202 exploded in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The explosion was accompanied by the emission of hard X-rays and Gamma-rays. But in contrast, no soft X-ray emission, expected from a pulsar or a shock wave heated environment, was seen. Measurements using an X-ray detector onboard a sounding rocket of the MPE in August 1987 failed to detect soft X-rays, as did the first ROSAT observations, which, however, confirmed that the exploding star was a blue giant. Not until the middle of 1991 did ROSAT register the first soft X-rays of that explosion. The explosion cloud from SN 1987A, surrounded by a row of another supernova remnants and stars, is indicated in the image by the cross-hairs.
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ROSAT (Röntgensatellit) 1995
Images from the X-ray sky with the ROSAT telescope · All rights reserved:
© Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1603, 85740 Garching, Germany.
The X-ray images are produced by the SASS/EXSAS software MPE, ESO-MIDAS.
The ROSAT project is managed by the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany on behalf of the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie (BMBF).
© X-Ray Group at MPE (group)
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