PSR 0540-69

CXC Logo
Chandra X-ray
Observatory Center
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden St. Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

PSR 0540-69: A pulsar and supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO)

Caption: PSR 0540-69 is 160,000 light years away from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It is the remnant of a supernova with a neutron star, or pulsar, at the center. The pulsar is rotating very rapidly, making a complete rotation every one-twentieth of a second! It is about 1,000 years old and is surrounded by a cloud of gas and high-energy particles that is about five light years in diameter. The large outer ring is due to hot multi-million degree gas produced by the supernova explosion.

Scale: Image is 2 x 1.7 arcmin.

Chandra X-ray Observatory HRC Image

CXC operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory