Puppis A

Puppis A
The Chandra three-color image (inset) is a region of the supernova remnant Puppis A (wide-angle view from ROSAT in blue) which reveals a cloud being torn apart by a shock wave produced in a supernova explosion. ROSAT image is 88 arcmin across; Chandra image 8 arcmin across. RA 08h 23m 08.16sDec -42º 41' 41.40" in Puppis. Observation date: September 4, 2005. Color code: Energy (Red 0.4-0.7 keV; Green 0.7-1.2 keV; Blue 1.2-10 keV). Instrument: ACIS. Credit: Chandra: NASA/CXC/GSFC/U.Hwang et al.; ROSAT: NASA/GSFC/S.Snowden et al. X-ray image of the Cosmic Cannonball in Puppis A
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
Supernova type	S
Remnant type	{{{SNRtype}}}
Host galaxy	Milky Way
Constellation	Puppis
Right ascension	08h 24m 07s
Declination	-42° 59' 48
Galactic coordinates	l = 260.2°, b = -3.7°
Discovery date	1971
Distance	7.000 ly
Physical characteristics
Progenitor	Unknown
Progenitor type	Unknown
Colour (B-V)	Unknown
Notable features	central source: RX J0822-4300. Apparent size: 1°

Puppis A is a supernova remnant (SNR) about 10 light-years in diameter. The supernova 'occurred' (i.e. would have been seen on earth) approximately 3700 years ago. Although it overlaps the Vela Supernova Remnant, it is four times more distant.

A hypervelocity neutron star known as the Cosmic Cannonball has been found in this SNR traveling ~5 million kilometers per hour.

Puppis X-1

Puppis X-1 (Puppis A) was discovered by a Skylark flight in October 1971, viewed for 1 min with an accuracy ≥ 2 arcsec, probably at 1M 0821-426, with Puppis A (RA 08^h 23^m 08.16^sDec -42º 41' 41.40") as the likely visual counterpart.

Puppis A is one of the brightest X-ray sources in the X-ray sky. Its X-ray designation is 2U 0821-42.

References

• "Puppis A: Chandra Reveals Cloud Disrupted By Supernova Shock", Chandra: NASA/CXC/GSFC/U.Hwang et al.; ROSAT: NASA/GSFC/S.Snowden et al., [1]
• Simbad

See also

• List of supernova remnants