The Cosmic Hand: Exploring MSH 15–52
This stunning composite image, released by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory on August 20, 2025, captures the iconic "Cosmic Hand" nebula (MSH 15-52) in exquisite multi-wavelength detail, spanning about 110 light-years across. The hand-shaped pulsar wind nebula, powered by the energetic neutron star PSR B1509-58, appears as a luminous blue palm and elongated fingers reaching upward toward the upper right against a starry black backdrop.
Blue, Orange, and Yellow (X-ray from Chandra): Forms the glowing "hand" structure, highlighting the hottest relativistic particles from the pulsar's wind. Streaks and swirls in pale to deep blue trace the intricate filaments and outflows, with bright knots at the fingertips where the wind collides with supernova debris. A prominent southern jet and inner finger regions glow intensely here.
Red (Radio from Australia Telescope Compact Array - ATCA): Overlays as a neon red cloud in the upper right, depicting the patchy supernova remnant RCW 89. It reveals cooler synchrotron emission and magnetic field-aligned filaments, extending beyond X-ray boundaries to suggest interactions with dense gas clouds.
Gold/Orange (Optical H-alpha from UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh): Scattered golden specks and interwoven strands mark shocked hydrogen gas and stars, particularly in RCW 89's "thumb" region and a lower-left cloud, adding a warm, ethereal glow to the debris.
Purple: Emerges in overlap zones between X-ray and radio, creating hazy, ethereal effects along the fingers and palm, emphasizing interaction regions.
Key scientific highlights include the absence of radio emission in some bright X-ray jets (due to rapid synchrotron cooling of leaking particles) and fine filaments aligned with magnetic fields (shown as short white lines in labeled views). The image scale is 22 arcminutes, set in the constellation Circinus, and credits NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al. for processing.