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RCW 103: A supernova remnant created from the death of a massive star about 2,000 years ago. Caption: Chandra's X-ray image of RCW 103 shows the debris left behind when a star at least 8 times more massive than the Sun exploded at the end of its life. The colors of red, green, and blue are mapped to low, medium, and high-energy X-rays respectively. At the center, the bright blue dot is likely the neutron star that astronomers believe formed when the star exploded. There is some evidence that an unseen companion star may be slowing the rotation of this central neutron star. Scale: Image is 11.9 arcmin across Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image |