SNR 0540-69.3  CXC Logo Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden St.
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA SNR 0540-69.3: A supernova remnant in
the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy 160,000 light years from
Earth. (Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO)  Caption: Chandra's image of SNR
0540-69.3 reveals two aspects of the enormous power released
when a massive star explodes. An implosion crushed material into
an extremely dense (10 miles in diameter) neutron star,
triggering an explosion that sent a shock wave rumbling through
space at speeds in excess of 5 million miles per hour. The
central intense white blaze of high-energy particles about 3
light years across was created by a rapidly rotating neutron
star, or pulsar. Surrounding the white blaze is a shell of hot
gas 40 light years in diameter that marks the location of the
supernova shock wave. The colors red, green and blue in the
image correspond to low, medium and high-energy X-rays,
respectively.  Scale: Image is 1.7 arcmin per side  Ch