A new investigation revisits a remarkable Milky Way characteristic, formed by a swiftly rotating deceased star core, recognized as one of the galaxy’s most powerful electromagnetic generators.

At the heart of this lively nebula resides a pulsar, a type of neutron star that emits high-energy streams of particles as it rotates similarly to a lighthouse. This entity is the remnant of a colossal star that experienced a supernova explosion.

By merging radio data with images from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have identified inconsistencies in features across various light wavelengths, suggesting an incomplete grasp of how the pulsar wind interacts with supernova remnants.

Researchers seek to delve deeper into the mysterious object, MSH 15-52, to comprehend how such occurrences yield high-energy particles, some of which might evolve into cosmic rays that potentially reach Earth.

The Chandra observatory recorded an image of the nebula over 15 years ago. Recently, scientists utilized the Australia Telescope Compact Array to produce intricate radio maps of this spatial region, integrating them with X-ray data. The results are documented in The Astrophysical Journal.

At approximately 1,700 years old, MSH 15-52, sometimes referred to as the “cosmic hand” or “hand of God” due to its distinctive shape, ranks among the youngest-known nebulas shaped by pulsar wind. Positioned around 17,000 light-years away in the Circinus constellation, it is also quite expansive, dwarfing the renowned Crab Nebula. The hand stretches about 150 light-years.

Surprisingly, the pulsar accountable for this spectacle measures only about 12 miles across. Nevertheless, it is remarkably swift and powerful, rotating seven times per second, much like a CD in a Discman. Its magnetic field is around 30 million times stronger than the most powerful steady magnet ever created on Earth.

In the updated composite image, gold represents hydrogen gas in visible light, red denotes radio waves, and blue, orange, and yellow signify X-rays. The “fingers” appear purple where radio and X-ray emissions intersect.

Particles emitted by the pulsar generate a luminous gas bubble. The system is also linked to the surrounding supernova remnants, RCW 89, which are the leftover materials from the enormous star explosion that gave rise to the pulsar. The new radio data reveals threadlike filaments likely caused by the collision of the pulsar wind with the supernova debris.

Certain bright X-ray features, such as the pulsar’s jet and fingerlike structures, are absent in radio wavelengths, suggesting they originate from a higher-energy source.

“Highly energetic particles are escaping from a shock wave — akin to a sonic boom from a supersonic aircraft — near the pulsar,” stated the Chandra X-ray Observatory, “and traveling along magnetic field lines to form the fingers.”

For the supernova remnant, the radio waves correspond with bright knots observed in X-rays and visible light. However, the radio glow extends considerably further, leaving researchers baffled.

To unravel the enigma, scientists will likely need more comprehensive computer models.