Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. It spans approximately 10 light-years.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, NASA/JPL/Caltech/NuStar; Optical: NASA/STScI/HST; IR: NASA/STScI/JWST, NASA/JPL/CalTech/SST; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand
Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers uncovered a mysterious feature within the remnant, nicknamed the “Green Monster,” alongside a puzzling network of ejecta filaments forming a web of oxygen-rich material. When combined with X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the data helped astronomers shed light on the origin of the Green Monster and revealed new insights into the explosion that created Cas A about 340 years ago, from Earth’s perspective.
Like with the Cygnus Loop, Chandra has provided a 3-dimensional (3D) printable model that can be used to explore the end stage of a star’s life. These 3D models are based on state-of-the-art theoretical models, computational algorithms, and observations from space-based telescopes like Chandra that give us accurate pictures of these cosmic objects and how they evolve over time.
See more photos and get the files to print 3D models of cosmic objects.
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, NASA/JPL/Caltech/NuStar; Optical: NASA/STScI/HST; IR: NASA/STScI/JWST, NASA/JPL/CalTech/SST; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand
仙后座A（Cassiopeia A，简称Cas A）是一个超新星遗迹，位于仙后座方向，距离地球约11,000光年，其跨度约为10光年。
图像来源: X射线: NASA/CXC/SAO，NASA/JPL/Caltech/NuSTAR；可见光: NASA/STScI/HST; 红外光: NASA/STScI/JWST，NASA/JPL/CalTech/SST; 图像处理: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand
借助NASA詹姆斯·韦伯空间望远镜（JWST），天文学家在该遗迹中发现了一处神秘的结构，并将其昵称为“绿色怪物”（Green Monster）。与此同时，他们还揭示出一张由富含氧元素的喷发物组成的复杂丝状网络。当这些观测数据与NASA钱德拉X射线天文台的X射线数据相结合后，科学家得以揭示绿色怪物的起源，并深入理解了大约340年前从地球视角所见的仙后座A超新星爆炸过程中的诸多细节。
与天鹅座环（Cygnus Loop）类似，钱德拉项目也为仙后座A提供了一个三维（3D）可打印模型。该模型基于先进的理论框架、计算算法以及太空望远镜（如钱德拉）的观测数据，能够准确地呈现这类宇宙天体的结构及其演化过程。
图像来源: X射线: NASA/CXC/SAO，NASA/JPL/Caltech/NuSTAR；可见光: NASA/STScI/HST; 红外光: NASA/STScI/JWST，NASA/JPL/CalTech/SST; 图像处理: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand
