Milky Way's super-efficient particle accelerators caught in the act

Credit: ESO/E. Helder & NASA/Chandra, Posted on: Saturday, 27 June 2009, 06:32 CDT Download full size image

Image of part of a stellar remnant whose explosion was recorded in 185 AD. By studying this remnant in detail, a team of astronomers was able to solve the mystery of the Milky Way’s super-efficient particle accelerators. The team shows that the shock wave visible in this area is very efficient at accelerating particles and the energy used in this process matches the number of cosmic rays observed on Earth. North is toward the top right and east to the top left. The image is about 6 arc minutes across.

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