Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift
Image description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"alt_text": "This multiwavelength scene shows the Jellyfish Nebula supernova remnant (right), the interstellar cloud it’s interacting with, and a distinctive curving filament to its upper left. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, UV from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is shown in violet, and infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in cyan, red, and orange. Both remnants are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. The brilliant star at far right is Propus, also known as Eta Geminorum.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftImage description: On a mottled reddish background speckled with stars, yellow threads of gas at center right trace out a dome-shaped structure from which curving tendrils extend toward the lower right. Blue and red filaments trace a ring around the dome’s base. A violet arc stretches right to left just above the center of the image, and irregular orange gas clouds become thicker toward the upper left. ",
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"description": "A new study of two supernova remnants suggests the explosions came from stellar siblings that once orbited each other. The first star’s detonation sent its binary companion hurtling through space, and then, after traveling for thousands of years, the surviving star blew up too.
The study focused on a faint supernova remnant called G189.6+3.3, which is mainly visible in X-rays. It is upstaged by its brighter and better-known neighbor, the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443). The two star wrecks, both located in the constellation Gemini, appear to partially overlap as seen in X-rays. Recent X-ray evidence suggests that hot plasma likely associated with G189.6+3.3 may extend across the entire region, a hint that the overlap may be nearly total.
More than a decade ago, observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope showed that the shock waves of supernova remnants accelerated particles to within a fraction of the speed of light. These high-speed particles, called cosmic rays, interact with interstellar gas to produce gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light. Protons make up 99% of cosmic ray particles.
To prove that accelerated protons are responsible for the glow, astronomers search for a specific gamma-ray feature. When cosmic-ray protons smash into interstellar gas, they produce a short-lived particle called a neutral pion, which almost immediately decays into a pair of gamma rays. This emission occurs within a specific band of energies associated with the neutral pion’s mass and lies within the range detected by Fermi. In 2013, Fermi observations proved that the Jellyfish Nebula, which is interacting with part of a glowing cloud of hydrogen gas, produced gamma rays through this mechanism.
Its fainter neighbor, G189.6+3.3, was discovered in 1994. New Fermi observations have found gamma-ray emission associated with accelerated protons in the northern part of the remnant, where it interacts with the same gas cloud as IC 443. This suggests the remnants must share a common distance from us.
The team concludes the remnants lie about 6,000 light-years away, their explosion centers are separated by roughly 40 light-years projected onto the plane of the sky, and the original stars may have been 20 or more times the Sun’s mass.
Estimates of the remnants’ ages vary widely, but the team concludes that the age of the Jellyfish Nebula is 8,000 to 9,000 years, while G189.6+3.3 is between 20,000 to 110,000 years old. This means the delay between the explosions could have extended for up to 100,000 years.
Additional evidence, including including computer simulations teacking the evolution of a million massive binary systems, paint a compelling picture that the original stars were members of the same binary system and that IC 443 and G189.6+3.3 are sibling supernova remnants.",
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"description": "This cartoon outlines how the IC 443/G189 complex may have come about. First, two massive stars are born as a binary system. The larger member is 30 to 40 times the Sun’s mass, the other is 25 to 35 solar masses. Then, the more massive star explodes, possibly forming a neutron star or black hole, and the event kicks away its companion. The lone star travels through space for 20,000 to 100,000 years, then explodes itself. The two supernova remnants expand and partially merge, as we see them today.
Credit: M. Michailidis et al. 2026
Alt text: Cartoon showing the origin of the remnant complex
Image description: This is a single panel split into four sections. Each section is labeled with a blue circle and a numeral in the top left. 1: Two blue stars of different sizes stand side by side, enclosed by a dashed black line. A label at the top reads “1 Massive binary system: Two massive stars orbit each other.” Text under the biggest star, at left, reads “Star A (~30–40 M☉)” and under the smaller star reads “Star B (~25–35 M☉).” Labels at the bottom read “Bound binary” and “(before explosions).” 2: At the top, text reads “2 First supernova: Star A explodes.” An illustration of a purple and blue explosion, with arrows radiating away from the bright center, appears below. Text reads “Compact remnant (NS or BH).” Next to the explosion, the smaller star is connected to a curving arrow pointing to the right. The text below reads “Companion kicked away.” At the bottom of the section text reads “Binary disrupted” and (~0 years).” 3: A label at top reads “3 Companion evolves and explodes: After tens of thousands of years, the companion becomes a supernova.” Below is a small purple ball, a blue dashed line with an arrowhead pointing right, and an orange explosion radiating arrows from a bright center. Text under the explosion reads “Second supernova.” Labels at the bottom read “Two supernovae” and “~20,000–100,000 years.” 4: Test at the top reads ”4 Today: We observe two supernova remnants in the same region of space.” An illustration shows two intersecting purple and orange spheres with a star-and-nebula background. Beneath the purple remnant text reads “G189.6+3.3,” while the orange remnant is labeled “IC 443.” At the bottom, labels read “Two SNRs overlap” and “Today.”
", "items": [ { "id": 522155, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204361, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/System_history_715_print.jpg", "filename": "System_history_715_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This cartoon outlines how the IC 443/G189 complex may have come about. First, two massive stars are born as a binary system. The larger member is 30 to 40 times the Sun’s mass, the other is 25 to 35 solar masses. Then, the more massive star explodes, possibly forming a neutron star or black hole, and the event kicks away its companion. The lone star travels through space for 20,000 to 100,000 years, then explodes itself. The two supernova remnants expand and partially merge, as we see them today. Credit: M. Michailidis et al. 2026Alt text: Cartoon showing the origin of the remnant complexImage description: This is a single panel split into four sections. Each section is labeled with a blue circle and a numeral in the top left. 1: Two blue stars of different sizes stand side by side, enclosed by a dashed black line. A label at the top reads “1 Massive binary system: Two massive stars orbit each other.” Text under the biggest star, at left, reads “Star A (~30–40 M☉)” and under the smaller star reads “Star B (~25–35 M☉).” Labels at the bottom read “Bound binary” and “(before explosions).” 2: At the top, text reads “2 First supernova: Star A explodes.” An illustration of a purple and blue explosion, with arrows radiating away from the bright center, appears below. Text reads “Compact remnant (NS or BH).” Next to the explosion, the smaller star is connected to a curving arrow pointing to the right. The text below reads “Companion kicked away.” At the bottom of the section text reads “Binary disrupted” and (~0 years).” 3: A label at top reads “3 Companion evolves and explodes: After tens of thousands of years, the companion becomes a supernova.” Below is a small purple ball, a blue dashed line with an arrowhead pointing right, and an orange explosion radiating arrows from a bright center. Text under the explosion reads “Second supernova.” Labels at the bottom read “Two supernovae” and “~20,000–100,000 years.” 4: Test at the top reads ”4 Today: We observe two supernova remnants in the same region of space.” An illustration shows two intersecting purple and orange spheres with a star-and-nebula background. Beneath the purple remnant text reads “G189.6+3.3,” while the orange remnant is labeled “IC 443.” At the bottom, labels read “Two SNRs overlap” and “Today.” ", "width": 1024, "height": 381, "pixels": 390144 } }, { "id": 522154, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204360, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/System_history_715.png", "filename": "System_history_715.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This cartoon outlines how the IC 443/G189 complex may have come about. First, two massive stars are born as a binary system. The larger member is 30 to 40 times the Sun’s mass, the other is 25 to 35 solar masses. Then, the more massive star explodes, possibly forming a neutron star or black hole, and the event kicks away its companion. The lone star travels through space for 20,000 to 100,000 years, then explodes itself. The two supernova remnants expand and partially merge, as we see them today. Credit: M. Michailidis et al. 2026Alt text: Cartoon showing the origin of the remnant complexImage description: This is a single panel split into four sections. Each section is labeled with a blue circle and a numeral in the top left. 1: Two blue stars of different sizes stand side by side, enclosed by a dashed black line. A label at the top reads “1 Massive binary system: Two massive stars orbit each other.” Text under the biggest star, at left, reads “Star A (~30–40 M☉)” and under the smaller star reads “Star B (~25–35 M☉).” Labels at the bottom read “Bound binary” and “(before explosions).” 2: At the top, text reads “2 First supernova: Star A explodes.” An illustration of a purple and blue explosion, with arrows radiating away from the bright center, appears below. Text reads “Compact remnant (NS or BH).” Next to the explosion, the smaller star is connected to a curving arrow pointing to the right. The text below reads “Companion kicked away.” At the bottom of the section text reads “Binary disrupted” and (~0 years).” 3: A label at top reads “3 Companion evolves and explodes: After tens of thousands of years, the companion becomes a supernova.” Below is a small purple ball, a blue dashed line with an arrowhead pointing right, and an orange explosion radiating arrows from a bright center. Text under the explosion reads “Second supernova.” Labels at the bottom read “Two supernovae” and “~20,000–100,000 years.” 4: Test at the top reads ”4 Today: We observe two supernova remnants in the same region of space.” An illustration shows two intersecting purple and orange spheres with a star-and-nebula background. Beneath the purple remnant text reads “G189.6+3.3,” while the orange remnant is labeled “IC 443.” At the bottom, labels read “Two SNRs overlap” and “Today.” ", "width": 1920, "height": 715, "pixels": 1372800 } }, { "id": 522152, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204358, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/System_history.png", "filename": "System_history.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This cartoon outlines how the IC 443/G189 complex may have come about. First, two massive stars are born as a binary system. The larger member is 30 to 40 times the Sun’s mass, the other is 25 to 35 solar masses. Then, the more massive star explodes, possibly forming a neutron star or black hole, and the event kicks away its companion. The lone star travels through space for 20,000 to 100,000 years, then explodes itself. The two supernova remnants expand and partially merge, as we see them today. Credit: M. Michailidis et al. 2026Alt text: Cartoon showing the origin of the remnant complexImage description: This is a single panel split into four sections. Each section is labeled with a blue circle and a numeral in the top left. 1: Two blue stars of different sizes stand side by side, enclosed by a dashed black line. A label at the top reads “1 Massive binary system: Two massive stars orbit each other.” Text under the biggest star, at left, reads “Star A (~30–40 M☉)” and under the smaller star reads “Star B (~25–35 M☉).” Labels at the bottom read “Bound binary” and “(before explosions).” 2: At the top, text reads “2 First supernova: Star A explodes.” An illustration of a purple and blue explosion, with arrows radiating away from the bright center, appears below. Text reads “Compact remnant (NS or BH).” Next to the explosion, the smaller star is connected to a curving arrow pointing to the right. The text below reads “Companion kicked away.” At the bottom of the section text reads “Binary disrupted” and (~0 years).” 3: A label at top reads “3 Companion evolves and explodes: After tens of thousands of years, the companion becomes a supernova.” Below is a small purple ball, a blue dashed line with an arrowhead pointing right, and an orange explosion radiating arrows from a bright center. Text under the explosion reads “Second supernova.” Labels at the bottom read “Two supernovae” and “~20,000–100,000 years.” 4: Test at the top reads ”4 Today: We observe two supernova remnants in the same region of space.” An illustration shows two intersecting purple and orange spheres with a star-and-nebula background. Beneath the purple remnant text reads “G189.6+3.3,” while the orange remnant is labeled “IC 443.” At the bottom, labels read “Two SNRs overlap” and “Today.” ", "width": 7868, "height": 2930, "pixels": 23053240 } }, { "id": 522153, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204359, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/System_history_2160.png", "filename": "System_history_2160.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This cartoon outlines how the IC 443/G189 complex may have come about. First, two massive stars are born as a binary system. The larger member is 30 to 40 times the Sun’s mass, the other is 25 to 35 solar masses. Then, the more massive star explodes, possibly forming a neutron star or black hole, and the event kicks away its companion. The lone star travels through space for 20,000 to 100,000 years, then explodes itself. The two supernova remnants expand and partially merge, as we see them today. Credit: M. Michailidis et al. 2026Alt text: Cartoon showing the origin of the remnant complexImage description: This is a single panel split into four sections. Each section is labeled with a blue circle and a numeral in the top left. 1: Two blue stars of different sizes stand side by side, enclosed by a dashed black line. A label at the top reads “1 Massive binary system: Two massive stars orbit each other.” Text under the biggest star, at left, reads “Star A (~30–40 M☉)” and under the smaller star reads “Star B (~25–35 M☉).” Labels at the bottom read “Bound binary” and “(before explosions).” 2: At the top, text reads “2 First supernova: Star A explodes.” An illustration of a purple and blue explosion, with arrows radiating away from the bright center, appears below. Text reads “Compact remnant (NS or BH).” Next to the explosion, the smaller star is connected to a curving arrow pointing to the right. The text below reads “Companion kicked away.” At the bottom of the section text reads “Binary disrupted” and (~0 years).” 3: A label at top reads “3 Companion evolves and explodes: After tens of thousands of years, the companion becomes a supernova.” Below is a small purple ball, a blue dashed line with an arrowhead pointing right, and an orange explosion radiating arrows from a bright center. Text under the explosion reads “Second supernova.” Labels at the bottom read “Two supernovae” and “~20,000–100,000 years.” 4: Test at the top reads ”4 Today: We observe two supernova remnants in the same region of space.” An illustration shows two intersecting purple and orange spheres with a star-and-nebula background. Beneath the purple remnant text reads “G189.6+3.3,” while the orange remnant is labeled “IC 443.” At the bottom, labels read “Two SNRs overlap” and “Today.” ", "width": 5800, "height": 2160, "pixels": 12528000 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380446, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380446", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This composite of radio, infrared, optical, and UV data shows the region around IC 443, a famous supernova remnant also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in red, and radio data (orange and brown) indicates thicker interstellar material. A small violet filament (center) is highlighted using UV data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The filament is part of a second, older supernova remnant, called G189+3.3, that overlaps IC 443.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift
Separate wavelength layers are also available.
Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. To its right, yellow-white streamers of gas form a dome-like structure, while at the base of the dome the streamers seem to become uncontained, spreading in curving arcs. An irregular red streamer forms a ring at the dome’s base, about halfway into the full structure. Splotches of orange and brown formless obvious clouds throughout the scene.
", "items": [ { "id": 522125, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204325, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_UV_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_UV_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This composite of radio, infrared, optical, and UV data shows the region around IC 443, a famous supernova remnant also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in red, and radio data (orange and brown) indicates thicker interstellar material. A small violet filament (center) is highlighted using UV data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The filament is part of a second, older supernova remnant, called G189+3.3, that overlaps IC 443.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftSeparate wavelength layers are also available. Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. To its right, yellow-white streamers of gas form a dome-like structure, while at the base of the dome the streamers seem to become uncontained, spreading in curving arcs. An irregular red streamer forms a ring at the dome’s base, about halfway into the full structure. Splotches of orange and brown formless obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522122, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204303, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_opt_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_opt_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This composite of radio, infrared, optical, and UV data shows the region around IC 443, a famous supernova remnant also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in red, and radio data (orange and brown) indicates thicker interstellar material. A small violet filament (center) is highlighted using UV data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The filament is part of a second, older supernova remnant, called G189+3.3, that overlaps IC 443.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftSeparate wavelength layers are also available. Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. To its right, yellow-white streamers of gas form a dome-like structure, while at the base of the dome the streamers seem to become uncontained, spreading in curving arcs. An irregular red streamer forms a ring at the dome’s base, about halfway into the full structure. Splotches of orange and brown formless obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522123, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204304, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This composite of radio, infrared, optical, and UV data shows the region around IC 443, a famous supernova remnant also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in red, and radio data (orange and brown) indicates thicker interstellar material. A small violet filament (center) is highlighted using UV data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The filament is part of a second, older supernova remnant, called G189+3.3, that overlaps IC 443.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftSeparate wavelength layers are also available. Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. To its right, yellow-white streamers of gas form a dome-like structure, while at the base of the dome the streamers seem to become uncontained, spreading in curving arcs. An irregular red streamer forms a ring at the dome’s base, about halfway into the full structure. Splotches of orange and brown formless obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522124, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204305, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_UV_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_radio_IR_opt_UV_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This composite of radio, infrared, optical, and UV data shows the region around IC 443, a famous supernova remnant also known as the Jellyfish Nebula. The filament, which is shown here both in optical and ultraviolet (UV) light, is the visible part of an overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3, that is more prominent in radio and X-rays. Visible light is shown in yellow, infrared light from NASA’s retired WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission appears in red, and radio data (orange and brown) indicates thicker interstellar material. A small violet filament (center) is highlighted using UV data from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The filament is part of a second, older supernova remnant, called G189+3.3, that overlaps IC 443.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/SwiftSeparate wavelength layers are also available. Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. To its right, yellow-white streamers of gas form a dome-like structure, while at the base of the dome the streamers seem to become uncontained, spreading in curving arcs. An irregular red streamer forms a ring at the dome’s base, about halfway into the full structure. Splotches of orange and brown formless obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380447, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380447", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Same as above, but with the addition of low-energy X-rays (blue-green) from the German eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument on the Russian SRG (Spectrum X-Gamma) mission.
Images highlighting the contributions from the individual remnants are also available.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA
Image description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.
", "items": [ { "id": 522128, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204308, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of low-energy X-rays (blue-green) from the German eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument on the Russian SRG (Spectrum X-Gamma) mission.Images highlighting the contributions from the individual remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITAImage description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522129, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204337, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of low-energy X-rays (blue-green) from the German eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument on the Russian SRG (Spectrum X-Gamma) mission.Images highlighting the contributions from the individual remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITAImage description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522126, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204306, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of low-energy X-rays (blue-green) from the German eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument on the Russian SRG (Spectrum X-Gamma) mission.Images highlighting the contributions from the individual remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITAImage description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522127, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204307, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_X-ray_IC443_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_X-ray_IC443_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of low-energy X-rays (blue-green) from the German eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument on the Russian SRG (Spectrum X-Gamma) mission.Images highlighting the contributions from the individual remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITAImage description: A large, red, irregularly shaped cloud sprawls across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, forming large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380448, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380448", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Same as above, but with the addition of gamma rays having energies above 1 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. Because the entire region glows at these energies, and it is impossible to separate the individual contributions of each remnant. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light.
A version showing only the X-rays from G189 is also available.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration
Image description: A magenta glow covers up most of the image, completely enclosing the patchy, blue-green emission from the two supernova remnants. Outside the magenta circle, red, orange, and brown forms irregularly shaped clouds on a background sprinkled with yellow-white stars. Two brilliant stars, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, form large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.
", "items": [ { "id": 522132, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204351, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of gamma rays having energies above 1 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. Because the entire region glows at these energies, and it is impossible to separate the individual contributions of each remnant. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light.A version showing only the X-rays from G189 is also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: A magenta glow covers up most of the image, completely enclosing the patchy, blue-green emission from the two supernova remnants. Outside the magenta circle, red, orange, and brown forms irregularly shaped clouds on a background sprinkled with yellow-white stars. Two brilliant stars, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, form large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522130, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204309, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of gamma rays having energies above 1 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. Because the entire region glows at these energies, and it is impossible to separate the individual contributions of each remnant. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light.A version showing only the X-rays from G189 is also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: A magenta glow covers up most of the image, completely enclosing the patchy, blue-green emission from the two supernova remnants. Outside the magenta circle, red, orange, and brown forms irregularly shaped clouds on a background sprinkled with yellow-white stars. Two brilliant stars, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, form large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522131, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204310, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_1+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with the addition of gamma rays having energies above 1 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. Because the entire region glows at these energies, and it is impossible to separate the individual contributions of each remnant. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light.A version showing only the X-rays from G189 is also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: A magenta glow covers up most of the image, completely enclosing the patchy, blue-green emission from the two supernova remnants. Outside the magenta circle, red, orange, and brown forms irregularly shaped clouds on a background sprinkled with yellow-white stars. Two brilliant stars, located in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image, form large circles with diffraction spikes. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image. On the right, it seems more solid and covers the bright yellow-white Jellyfish Nebula. It extends far to the left right, becoming patchier. At center is a short arc of gas in violet. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds throughout the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380451, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380451", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed.
Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration
Image description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.
", "items": [ { "id": 522137, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204352, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed. Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522133, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204311, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_5+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_5+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed. Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522134, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204312, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_5+GeV_modeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_5+GeV_modeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed. Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522135, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204313, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed. Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522136, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204314, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_5+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, but with gamma rays having energies above 5 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The telescope’s gamma-ray view becomes sharper at higher energies, allowing emission structures related to G189 to be observed. Versions showing only X-rays from G189 and removing modeled gamma rays from IC 443 are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: An irregular magenta glow covers up most of the central part of image, completely enclosing the patchy blue-green emission from IC 443 as well as parts of G189. Outside the magenta area, red, orange, and brown form irregularly shaped clouds across the upper half of the image. The background is sprinkled with yellow-white stars, with two brilliant ones forming large circles with diffraction spikes in the middle and about 25% from the left and right sides of the image. An irregular blue-green cloud is superimposed on the central parts of the image but looks blue-white where it combines with the magenta. Splotches of orange and brown form less obvious clouds around the edges of the scene.", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380452, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380452", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays.
Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration
Image description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left.
", "items": [ { "id": 522143, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204354, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522142, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204353, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 1024, "height": 787, "pixels": 805888 } }, { "id": 522138, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204315, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522139, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204316, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_modeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522140, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204317, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_G189_only_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } }, { "id": 522141, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204318, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "filename": "IC443_wide_10+GeV_unmodeled_X-ray_both_remnants_2160.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this view, X-rays and gamma rays from IC 443 have been removed, revealing two prominent areas of gamma-ray production in its neighboring remnant, G189. Magenta regions show gamma rays with energies above 10 GeV (billion electron volts), collected by the Fermi mission’s Large Area Telescope over 16 years. The upper region overlaps the bright filament observed in visible and ultraviolet light, as well as a dense part of the nearby gas cloud. Measurements indicate that protons boosted to high energies by the explosion’s shock wave produce the gamma rays when they collide with dense gas. Since both remnants are interacting with the same cloud, they must be at similar distances from us, both about 6,000 light-years away. Other evidence likewise suggests the stars that produced these remnants likely once orbited each other. The emission region at the bottom is produced by a different mechanism, where electrons accelerated by the remnant boost low-energy light into gamma rays. Versions showing X-rays and gamma rays from both remnants are also available.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et al. 2026; optical: DSS; radio: MWSIP, ESA/Planck; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA; ultraviolet: NASA/Swift; X-ray: SRG/eROSITA; gamma ray: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationImage description: Against a starry background, irregular red and orange clouds make up most of the scene. An irregular red ring marks the middle of the Jellyfish Nebula, which looks like a yellow-white version of its namesake seemingly swimming toward the upper left. A patchy green mist fills a roughly circular area to its left, marking the location of supernova remnant G189. Magenta blobs cover two areas of the X-ray glow, one near the image center and the other below and to its left. ", "width": 2808, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6065280 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380454, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380454", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This image shows a portion of the gamma-ray sky centered on supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. The remnant is among the sky’s brightest sources at these energies, comparable to the Geminga and Crab Nebula pulsars. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. A prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV (billion electron volts; for comparison, the energy of visible light is around 2 to 3 electron volts).
Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration
An unlabeled version is also available.
Alt text: Detail of galactic anticenter region, Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray map
Image description: On a colorful rectangular map are three prominent yellow-white dots. A few smaller red-yellow and red dots are also present. The background is predominantly royal blue, with irregular blobs of red and orange running horizontally across the bottom two-thirds of the picture. Labels for the three prominent dots read, from top to bottom, “Geminga,” “IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula),” and “Crab Nebula pulsar.” ", "items": [ { "id": 522145, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204333, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_labeled_print.jpg", "filename": "LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_labeled_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows a portion of the gamma-ray sky centered on supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. The remnant is among the sky’s brightest sources at these energies, comparable to the Geminga and Crab Nebula pulsars. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. A prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV (billion electron volts; for comparison, the energy of visible light is around 2 to 3 electron volts). Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationAn unlabeled version is also available.Alt text: Detail of galactic anticenter region, Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray mapImage description: On a colorful rectangular map are three prominent yellow-white dots. A few smaller red-yellow and red dots are also present. The background is predominantly royal blue, with irregular blobs of red and orange running horizontally across the bottom two-thirds of the picture. Labels for the three prominent dots read, from top to bottom, “Geminga,” “IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula),” and “Crab Nebula pulsar.” ", "width": 1024, "height": 635, "pixels": 650240 } }, { "id": 522146, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204332, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_no_labels.jpg", "filename": "LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_no_labels.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows a portion of the gamma-ray sky centered on supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. The remnant is among the sky’s brightest sources at these energies, comparable to the Geminga and Crab Nebula pulsars. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. A prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV (billion electron volts; for comparison, the energy of visible light is around 2 to 3 electron volts). Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationAn unlabeled version is also available.Alt text: Detail of galactic anticenter region, Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray mapImage description: On a colorful rectangular map are three prominent yellow-white dots. A few smaller red-yellow and red dots are also present. The background is predominantly royal blue, with irregular blobs of red and orange running horizontally across the bottom two-thirds of the picture. Labels for the three prominent dots read, from top to bottom, “Geminga,” “IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula),” and “Crab Nebula pulsar.” ", "width": 2030, "height": 1260, "pixels": 2557800 } }, { "id": 522144, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1204331, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015000/a015053/LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_labeled.jpg", "filename": "LAT_gamma-ray_detail_IC433_labeled.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows a portion of the gamma-ray sky centered on supernova remnant IC 443 as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. The remnant is among the sky’s brightest sources at these energies, comparable to the Geminga and Crab Nebula pulsars. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. A prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV (billion electron volts; for comparison, the energy of visible light is around 2 to 3 electron volts). Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationAn unlabeled version is also available.Alt text: Detail of galactic anticenter region, Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray mapImage description: On a colorful rectangular map are three prominent yellow-white dots. A few smaller red-yellow and red dots are also present. The background is predominantly royal blue, with irregular blobs of red and orange running horizontally across the bottom two-thirds of the picture. Labels for the three prominent dots read, from top to bottom, “Geminga,” “IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula),” and “Crab Nebula pulsar.” ", "width": 3480, "height": 2160, "pixels": 7516800 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 380449, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15053/#media_group_380449", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [NASA.gov](https://science.nasa.gov/missions/fermi/nasas-fermi-sibling-supernova-remnants/)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Elizabeth Hays", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Astrophysics", "Fermi", "Galaxy", "Gamma Ray", "Nebula", "Space", "Star", "Supernova", "Swift", "Universe", "X-ray" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14976, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14976/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Fermi's 15-year View of the Gamma-Ray Sky", "description": "This image shows the entire sky as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. The map is centered on the center of our galaxy. The most prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The gamma rays there are mostly produced when energetic particles accelerated in the shock waves of supernova remnants collide with gas atoms and even light between the stars. Many of the star-like features above and below the Milky Way plane are distant galaxies powered by supermassive black holes. Many of the bright sources along the plane are pulsars. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using front-converting gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV. Hammer projection with black background.Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationAlt text: Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray mapImage description: A colorful oval map sits in the middle of a black background. The oval is predominantly royal blue, striped with an irregular bright red, orange, and yellow band horizontally across the center, which shows the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Smaller dots and splotches in red, orange, yellow, and white appear throughout the oval. || intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1.png (3600x1800) [2.9 MB] || intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1_print.jpg (1024x512) [290.2 KB] || intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1_searchweb.png (320x180) [74.2 KB] || intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || ", "release_date": "2026-02-20T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2026-02-25T13:09:59-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1202094, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014976/intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1_print.jpg", "filename": "intens_ait_180m_gt1000_psf3_gal_0p1_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the entire sky as seen by Fermi's Large Area Telescope. Lighter colors indicate brighter gamma-ray sources. The map is centered on the center of our galaxy. The most prominent feature is the bright, diffuse glow running along the middle of the map, which marks the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. The gamma rays there are mostly produced when energetic particles accelerated in the shock waves of supernova remnants collide with gas atoms and even light between the stars. Many of the star-like features above and below the Milky Way plane are distant galaxies powered by supermassive black holes. Many of the bright sources along the plane are pulsars. The image was constructed from 15 years of observations using front-converting gamma rays with energies greater than 1 GeV. Hammer projection with black background.Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT CollaborationAlt text: Fermi 15-year all-sky gamma-ray mapImage description: A colorful oval map sits in the middle of a black background. The oval is predominantly royal blue, striped with an irregular bright red, orange, and yellow band horizontally across the center, which shows the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Smaller dots and splotches in red, orange, yellow, and white appear throughout the oval. ", "width": 1024, "height": 512, "pixels": 524288 } }, { "id": 11209, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11209/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Fermi Proves Supernova Remnants Produce Cosmic Rays", "description": "A new study using observations from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope reveals the first clear-cut evidence that the expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the fastest-moving matter in the universe. This discovery is a major step toward meeting one of Fermi's primary mission goals.Cosmic rays are subatomic particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light. About 90 percent of them are protons, with the remainder consisting of electrons and atomic nuclei. In their journey across the galaxy, the electrically charged particles become deflected by magnetic fields. This scrambles their paths and makes it impossible to trace their origins directly.Through a variety of mechanisms, these speedy particles can lead to the emission of gamma rays, the most powerful form of light and a signal that travels to us directly from its sources.Two supernova remnants, known as IC 443 and W44, are expanding into cold, dense clouds of interstellar gas. This material emits gamma rays when struck by high-speed particles escaping the remnants.Scientists have been unable to ascertain which particle is responsible for this emission because cosmic-ray protons and electrons give rise to gamma rays with similar energies. Now, after analyzing four years of data, Fermi scientists see a gamma-ray feature from both remnants that, like a fingerprint, proves the culprits are protons.When cosmic-ray protons smash into normal protons, they produce a short-lived particle called a neutral pion. The pion quickly decays into a pair of gamma rays. This emission falls within a specific band of energies associated with the rest mass of the neutral pion, and it declines steeply toward lower energies. Detecting this low-end cutoff is clear proof that the gamma rays arise from decaying pions formed by protons accelerated within the supernova remnants.In 1949, the Fermi telescope's namesake, physicist Enrico Fermi, suggested that the highest-energy cosmic rays were accelerated in the magnetic fields of interstellar gas clouds. In the decades that followed, astronomers showed that supernova remnants were the galaxy's best candidate sites for this process.?A charged particle trapped in a supernova remnant's magnetic field moves randomly throughout it and occasionally crosses through the explosion's leading shock wave. Each round trip through the shock ramps up the particle's speed by about 1 percent. After many crossings, the particle obtains enough energy to break free and escapes into the galaxy as a newborn cosmic ray. The Fermi discovery builds on a strong hint of neutral pion decay in W44 observed by the Italian Space Agency's AGILE gamma-ray observatory and published in late 2011.Watch this video on YouTube. || ", "release_date": "2013-02-14T14:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2021-09-10T15:24:03-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 468169, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011209/Cas_A_Still.jpg", "filename": "Cas_A_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The husks of exploded stars produce some of the fastest particles in the cosmos. New findings by NASA's Fermi show that two supernova remnants accelerate protons to near the speed of light. The protons interact with nearby interstellar gas clouds, which then emit gamma rays. Short narrated video.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 10690, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10690/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "How to make a gamma ray", "description": "A series of animations showing how gamma rays can be created through various particle interactions. || ", "release_date": "2010-11-09T13:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2019-06-07T12:35:11-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 489082, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010600/a010690/Inverse_Compton278.jpg", "filename": "Inverse_Compton278.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inverse Compton scattering animation. An electron travelling at close the speed of light has a head-on collision with a lower-energy photon (from microwave to ultraviolet). The photon picks up energy from the electron and becomes a gamma ray.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 10566, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10566/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Fermi Explores Supernova Remnants", "description": "Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT) resolved gamma rays with energies a billion times greater than that of visible light from supernova remnants of different ages and in different environments. W51C, W44 and IC 443 are middle-aged remnants between 4,000 and 30,000 years old. The youngest remnant, Cassiopeia A, is only 330 years old and appears to the LAT as a point source. The images bring astronomers a step closer to understanding the source of some of the universe's most energetic particles — cosmic rays. The emissions are likely the result of accelerated protons interacting with nearby gas clouds, but other possibilities have not been eliminated. Astrophysicists believe that supernova remnants are the galaxy's best candidate sites for cosmic-ray acceleration. These observations provide further validation to the notion that supernova remnants act as enormous accelerators for cosmic particles. || ", "release_date": "2010-02-13T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2021-09-13T09:15:10-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 494255, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010500/a010566/10566_SNRGeV_still_1280x720.jpg", "filename": "10566_SNRGeV_still_1280x720.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Supernova Remnant video showing specific remnants and their appearance at different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.For Photoshop file, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }