Life from Death

The expanding shell of gas and dust from an exploded star glows in different wavelengths of energy in this composite image from three telescopes. The supernova remnant, known as E0102-72, is about 170,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small companion galaxy to the Milky Way. The outer shell, in red, shows the remnant's radio waves, which are produced as the expanding shell rams into slower-moving material around it. The blue, representing X-rays, shows that the remnant contains large amounts of oxygen and carbon -- elements that are essential for life. These elements were forged in the heart of the star, and may now be incorporated into future stars, planets, or even living beings. The green streamers show the remnant in optical wavelengths, so the eye alone would see only these structures (though not in green). [NASA/CXC/SAO/HST/ACTA]