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Supernova's Speeding BulletWhen a dying star exploded, it shot out a "bullet" of matter that's speeding away at about five million miles (eight million kilometers) an hour, as seen in a new picture of the supernova remnant N49.

The image, released Monday, combines visible-light data from the Hubble Space Telescope (yellow) and x-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue). Rich in silicon, sulfur, and neon, the bullet appears to be traveling away from a bright source of light near the top of the remnant, which astronomers say might be the neutron star left over after the massive star collapsed and exploded.
Image courtesy NASA/CXC/Penn State and STScI/UIUC

Space Photos This Week: Space Shuttle, Supernova, More

Atlantis crosses the sun, a supernova shoots an odd "bullet," a moon rock makes a hole in one, and more in the week's best space pictures.

May 27, 2010