(Jan. 6, 2009) — Two new efforts have taken a famous supernova remnant from the static to the dynamic. A new movie of data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows changes in time never seen before in this type of object. A separate team will also release a dramatic three-dimensional visualization of the same remnant.

3-D model constructed from data from Chandra, Spitzer and ground-based optical telescopes. Scientists determined the positions of the different telescopes, represented by the various colors, using the Doppler effect. That information was then put into a medical imaging program adapted for astronomical use before commercial software was used to create the final visualization. This is the first time such a multiwavelength 3-D model of a supernova remnant has been created. (Credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/T. Delaney et al)

Nearly ten years ago, Chandra’s "First Light" image of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) revealed previously unseen structures and detail. Now, after eight years of observation, scientists have been able to construct a movie that tracks the remnant’s expansion and changes over time.

"With Chandra, we have watched Cas A over a relatively small amount of its life, but so far the show has been amazing," said Daniel Patnaude of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass. "And, we can use this to learn more about the aftermath of the star’s explosion."

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