NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory developed this image of a star's death at a distance of 20,000 light years and over the course of six days. G292.0+1.8 is one of only three supernova remnants in the Milky Way known to contain large amounts of oxygen. The expanding debris field also contains neon and silicon that were forged in the heart of the star before it exploded.

By mapping the distribution of X-rays given off by various chemical elements in the supernova, Chandra's image suggests that the explosion was a messy one. This can be seen in the uneven distribution of blue (silicon and sulfur) and green (magnesium) in the upper right, while yellow and orange (oxygen) dominate the lower left.

Below and to the left of center is a pulsar – a dense, rapidly rotating neutron star that remained in the explosion's aftermath. The lopsided nature of the explosion may have knocked the star slightly off from the star's center.

–NASA, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and SPACE.com Staff

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State/S.Park et al.; Optical: Pal.Obs. DSS