Fact Sheet
Big Boomer
This supernova remnant, known as W49B, may be the first remnant of a gamma-ray burst discovered in our Milky Way galaxy. W49B is a cloud of glowing gas and dust that may have formed when a star blasted itself to bits a few thousand years ago. This image combines X-ray data (blue) from the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory with infrared data (red and green) from the 200-inch telescope at Palomar Observatory. [Credits: NASA/CXC/SSC/J. KEOHANE et al; CALTECH/PALOMAR]
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