Ghostly Cosmic Hand Unveiled by X-Ray Telescopes

Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) have captured images of a ghostly hand-shaped pulsar wind nebula, known as MSH 15-52, located roughly 16,000 light-years away. The X-ray data reveals the magnetic field lines that shape the nebula, resembling the bones in a human hand. The observations also uncovered previously unknown X-ray jets contributing to the spread of material.